Will remain in NDA, says NCP's Tatkare amid merger buzz

Nationalist Congress Party Maharashtra president and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare on Sunday said his party will continue to be a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, asserting that the organisation will move forward on the ideology and path laid down by the late Ajit Pawar.

His statement came amid claims that February 12 had been fixed as the date for the announcement of the merger between the NCP and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, more than two and a half years after the Sharad Pawar-founded party split following Ajit Pawar's switch over to the ruling Mahayuti.

"Whatever people may say, our stand is clear. We will take forward the party and the ideology given by Ajitdada. We are firm on this position," Tatkare told reporters at the NCP state office in Mumbai.

"We are with the NDA and will remain with the NDA. This was a well-thought-out decision taken by Ajitdada," the Raigad Lok Sabha MP said.

The decision to align with the ruling NDA was taken collectively under Ajit Pawar's leadership, Tatkare said, emphasising he had never taken any political decision without the late leader's consent.

Tatkare rejects criticism on Sunetra's swearing-in 

Referring to criticism over the 'haste' in having Sunetra Pawar sworn in as deputy chief minister just days after Pawar's death, Tatkare said the Constitution gives everyone the right to express their views, but stressed that the decision was taken in the interest of Maharashtra and to strengthen the NCP.

"There is nothing wrong in her taking the oath to stabilise Maharashtra and to fulfil Ajit Pawar's vision of a developed state," he said.

Tatkare said the decision on the party's Rajya Sabha candidate was an internal matter of the NCP and praised the BJP for maintaining cordial relations within the NDA.

"The BJP has always cooperated with us and treated its allies with respect," he said.

Questioning the timing of the merger talks, Tatkare asked why such speculation was being raised even before Ajit Pawar's last rites were completed.

Tatkare said he had not made any comments related to the merger talks but still a narrative is being set that he is opposed to it.

The NCP joined the NDA while remaining committed to its secular ideology and the principles of social justice inspired by Shivaji Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, Shahu Maharaj and Dr B R Ambedkar, and this decision had the mandate of the people of Maharashtra, he said.

Tatkare was speaking during a visit to the party office for rituals after the ashes of Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28, were brought there for ceremonial prayers.

The Raigad MP said the ashes of Ajit Pawar would be taken to all districts of the state for public homage, after which they would be immersed locally.

Ajit Pawar's elder son Parth Pawar was present at the party office during the ceremony. He was seen overcome with emotion while paying tribute, during which he hugged his father's chair.

'Sunetra Pawar will take a call on merger'

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Manikrao Kokate said Sunetra Pawar will take a call on the 'merger', and her decision will be binding on the NCP. He also questioned why the matter was being discussed in public.

"It is a family issue. If it was being discussed, Ajitdada must have spoken to Sunetra Vahini (sister-in-law). She will take a call on what to do now," he said, stressing that her decision would be binding on all in the NCP.

Replying to questions, the former minister said that Sunetra Pawar, and no one else, would be the national president of the NCP.

"It will be Sunetra Vahini even if the two parties come together," he said.

Speculation around the merger of NCP and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has gained traction since Ajit Pawar's death, though statements on the issue have been diverse.

Sharad Pawar on Saturday said his nephew Ajit Pawar had finalised February 12 to announce the "merger" between the NCP factions. The process may face a roadblock due to the latter's death in a plane crash, the NCP (SP) supremo had added.

However, on Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said if the merger talks were in the final stages, then Ajit Pawar would have shared the development with him.

"Can the merger talks be finalised without our knowledge? We are not aware of the February 12 date being claimed as the date for the formal announcement of the merger," Fadnavis said.

"If Ajit Pawar was working on a merger, would he do so without taking the BJP into confidence? Was he preparing to quit the NDA where he was stable? He shared everything with me. If the NCP merger discussions had been in their final stages, then the late Ajit Pawar would have shared it with me," the CM further said.

Ajit Pawar's nephew and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Sunday claimed he had been involved in merger talks over the last three months and would reveal the contents of the discussion after the 13-day mourning period ends.