Pune: Discontent among NCP seniors over Rajya Sabha member Parth Pawar’s growing role in the party’s decision-making was at the core of a discussion chaired by its president and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar at her official residence in Mumbai on Tuesday.The meeting ended at 10.30pm and official comments by NCP state president Sunil Tatkare skirted this issue, focusing instead on “drought in several parts of the state and steps that ministers need to take post-Diwali”.“Party continues to work unitedly under Sunetra Pawar’s leadership. Some MLAs complained that they were not getting adequate funds from govt departments. They also asked if the finance portfolio would be returned to NCP,” Tatkare said.
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Members at the meeting questioned recent appointments to party posts as well as the functioning of Parth. “After Ajit Pawar’s death, the party unanimously selected Sunetravahini as the next chief. However, issues started cropping up with growing interference in the party’s functioning by Parth. He has been trying to influence almost every decision without taking seniors into confidence,” a senior lawmaker from NCP told TOI.According to NCP functionaries, Sunetra had failed to take corrective measures despite their requests. A senior member of NCP told TOI, “Recently, some appointments were made nationally and in Mumbai which were not unanimous. There are discussions within the party that Parth wanted to bring in some new faces by sidelining some old members in the state cabinet in a reshuffle.”Following some of these appointments, prominent NCP members had met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi.The NCP veteran was referring to the appointments made last week when Umesh Patil replaced Brijesh Shrivastava as the party’s chief spokesperson and Zeeshan Siddique was named Mumbai unit president. Party sources said the decisions were unilaterally taken by Parth without consulting senior leaders. NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal had publicly said that he was unaware of the appointments and learnt about them only through media reports.While the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting was yet to be determined, several changes, such as restarting the practice of holding a janta darbar at the party office in Mumbai and weekly meetings with MLAs and MLCs, have resumed. These changes, party sources said, were part of the agenda discussed at the core committee meeting on Monday.While top leadership of the party has publicly downplayed the internal friction, senior lawmakers, while speaking to TOI on condition of anonymity, confirmed that resentment has been simmering for months.The internal rift within NCP surfaced after a group of senior members met Shah in Delhi without party chief Sunetra and Parth. Those present at the meeting with Shah included Rajya Sabha MP and NCP national working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare, ministers Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, former ministers Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde, and former MLA Samir Bhujbal.Following the meeting with Shah, another round of talks happened in Mumbai on Monday before Sunetra called the meeting of the core committee at her official residence, Devgiri.One senior member who was present at the meeting with Shah told TOI, “The discussion with the home minister was on several key issues. Based on that meeting and the core committee meeting, a four-page agenda has been finalised.” The senior NCP member denied there was any discussion on merger possibilities with Sharad Pawar-led NCP.While Sunetra gets into damage-control mode, the other faction of NCP is keeping a close watch on developments in the rival camp.While Sharad Pawar is hospitalised in Pune, NCP (SP) functionaries said they have no role in the current turmoil in NCP.A senior party functionary of NCP (SP) told TOI, “Several MLAs of NCP have met Sharad Pawar in the last couple of months but those meetings were in their personal capacity. While Sharad Pawar has made his stand clear that he will not join NDA, we doubt if any of those MLAs will leave govt and join us to be in opposition.”NCP (SP) MLA and Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar on Tuesday claimed that BJP may create a rift between Parth and Jay Pawar. Rohit alleged that BJP was attempting to sideline the sons of the deputy CM.Reacting to the meeting of NCP leaders with Amit Shah, Rohit Pawar alleged that some leaders were more concerned about safeguarding their political positions and securing ministerial berths than addressing issues concerning Ajit Pawar’s plane crash and drought relief for farmers.Warning the Pawar family about alleged attempts to take control of NCP and marginalise Sunetra and Parth, Rohit alleged that BJP and leaders close to them were pursuing a political strategy to achieve this.
