MUMBAI: Union Minister Amit Shah has pulled up NCP leaders at a meeting in Delhi over their internal squabbling and poor performance as an alliance partner in the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.
Senior NCP leaders, including Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, among others, met Union Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to complain about the autocratic functioning of their national president, Sunetra Pawar, and her son, Parth Pawar. They complained that senior leaders were not being taken into confidence when major decisions were made in the party.
At the meeting, Mr Shah told the leaders that, rather than complaining, they should focus on improving their own and the party's performance in Maharashtra. He also conveyed that the NCP was becoming more of a liability and that, if things continued this way, there would be no option but to merge the NCP and hand over the reins of the united party to Sharad Pawar.
NCP national president and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar had convened a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday in Mumbai, where senior NCP leaders expressed their displeasure over the sidelining of experienced leaders in the party's decision-making process. The senior leaders are unhappy with the functioning of the party and Parth Pawar's interference in its affairs and the government. At the meeting, Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar told the senior leaders that the NCP was a major alliance partner in the Mahayuti and had several senior leaders. They assured them that, henceforth, decisions within the party would be taken collectively after consulting senior leaders.
A senior NCP leader said the party was facing a crisis of trust.
“Trust is essential for working together and expanding the party's base, but here in our party, no one is ready to trust anyone else. Everyone feels insecure about their future and fears losing their political space and importance in the party. This trust deficit has deepened, and as a result, the party has suffered a major defeat in the MLC elections. Besides, every senior leader feels that he is the boss, while the late Ajit Pawar's family is also functioning in a juvenile manner. As a result, the crisis is deepening,” the leader said, requesting anonymity.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said that the BJP and some NCP leaders were attempting to divide the NCP and create a rift between brothers Parth and Jay Pawar. He alleged that the BJP had earlier split political parties and was now trying to divide the two brothers with the help of some NCP leaders.