Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Monday clarified his position on rumours of his party's merger with Sunetra Pawar's NCP and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and said he would not join hands with anyone else and would rather focus on strengthening the NCP(SP).
Briefing the reporters following a meeting with his party leaders at his 'Silver Oak' residence in Mumbai, the Rajya Sabha member said the NCP(SP) remains a 'secular' party and stressed that those who wants to support his party, they should join it.
"There are some discussions underway about our party, but the discussion is about the fact that the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), which I lead, is a secular party. If anyone wants to come with us, they should not just come close to us but join our party. We will not go with anyone; we will strengthen our party," he said.
Speculations over NCP(SP)'s merger with Sunetra Pawar's faction
The speculations regarding a merger between the two NCP factions has been going on for past several months. India TV had earlier reported that the NCP(SP) faction could also join the BJP-led NDA. For this, a detailed plan had also been laid out. Sources had earlier told India TV that before it joins the NDA, the NCP(SP) would merge with the Sunetra Pawar faction, and later join the BJP-led alliance.
Pawar had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, which further fueled the speculations of a merger and possibility of joining the NDA. However, the veteran leader later clarified that his meeting with the Prime Minister was regarding the protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as union education minister following the NEET paper leak.
"I personally met the Prime Minister and told him that dialogue is essential in a democracy. I had also told Abhijeet Dipke and other young protesters that if the government showed willingness to hold talks, they too should be ready for dialogue," the former union minister had said back then.
ALSO READ:
NCP-SP leaders' meeting with Shinde fuels NDA entry speculation; power-sharing discussed: Sources
