Former union minister Praful Patel, who was among those who extended support to the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) government in Maharashtra, claimed there is no split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and said Ajit Pawar‘s faction has the support of more than 40 out of 53 MLAs.
In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Patel, who was sacked from the NCP by Sharad Pawar, said there was a discussion in the party for quite some time that they wanted to be a part of the government. He said he has no hesitation to convince Sharad Pawar or Supriya Sule for his decision.
“There is no split in my party. But if someone claims otherwise, there is no other forum except Speaker or the Election Commission. But I hope it won’t go to that stage,” he said.
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After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government collapsed in 2022 following the rebellion of Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, Patel said party leaders wanted to go with the BJP but a decision was not taken.
“When the MVA collapsed, all our elected leaders, without any exception, wanted to go with the BJP even our rank and file wanted to explore it. There was no ideological barrier because we had already broken it with Shiv Sena which was much more rabid than the BJP. But no decision was taken… The thought process of forming the government with the BJP at some point was never ruled out,” he said.
The rebel NCP leader said Ajit Pawar was “upset” and it was one of the factors to join the NDA government. “When there is a large party, there is always some dissent, internal miscommunication. Combination of all the factors put together,” he said.
Asked about portfolio allocation, Patel said: “Obviously, we will have good portfolios.” Prodded further if Ajit Pawar could be handed finance, he said: “Why not? He has done a good job in the past.”
He added: “If we are coming in the government, we will expect that we have a substantial role in contributing to the progress of Maharashtra. Treat us as per merit.”
Asked to comment on Sharad Pawar’s betrayal remark, Patel said, “I think, putting his photo is a sign of respect. Let me tell you very clearly, nothing has been done to violate any larger principles of the party.”
Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP on Tuesday issued a whip to all MLAs asking them to remain present for a key meeting on Wednesday. A similar meeting has been called by the rival group headed by Ajit Pawar.
Sharad Pawar’s NCP has moved a petition before Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have taken oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led government.
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