NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday dismissed speculation about a merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party factions, saying no such discussions had taken place within his party and accusing certain quarters of attempting to shape a political narrative through the reports.
Speaking to reporters after meeting his granduncle and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at his residence, Rohit said neither Sharad Pawar nor party working president Supriya Sule had discussed a merger or any possible alignment with the BJP.
"If merger talks were underway, Supriya tai or Pawar Saheb would have spoken to me. There has been no discussion on merger in our party. The discussion is only in Ajit Dada's party and in the media," he said.
Speculation about a possible merger intensified last week after several leaders of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, including Praful Patel and Parth Pawar, met Sharad Pawar, who had recently been hospitalised with a chest infection. A viral video of Sharad Pawar and Patel discussing a possible meeting after November 10 further fuelled the buzz.
Amid the speculation, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare had claimed that the merger of the two factions would have taken place in February this year had Ajit Pawar been alive.
Rohit Pawar alleged that the reports were part of an attempt to create a particular political narrative and asserted that he remained one of the most vocal critics of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
He also raised concerns over the investigation into the aircraft crash that killed former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, alleging that the probe was not progressing in the right direction. He questioned the authorities' response to the doubts surrounding the incident and said those in power were yet to address them adequately.
Rohit said he would make a detailed presentation in Mumbai on November 14-15, outlining the circumstances of the crash and the questions surrounding it.
On the Gokul dairy controversy, he criticised the state cabinet's decision to grant voting rights to four government-nominated directors on the board of the milk cooperative. Describing the move as unconstitutional, he held Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responsible for the decision.
(With inputs from PTI)