Sharad Pawar’s ‘regional parties can merge with Cong.’ remark triggers speculation of merger
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar’s remark that several regional parties could merge with the Congress in the near future has triggered speculation of Mr. Pawar’s own NCP (SP) faction assimilating within the Congress fold.
‘No dierence’
In an interview with a prominent English daily, Mr. Pawar, who had split the Congress in 1999 by walking out and founding the NCP, spoke of how several regional parties would associate more closely with the Congress over the next two years or consider the option of merging with the Congress. Mr. Pawar said he did not see any dierence between the Congress and the NCP (SP) given that both were ideologically similar.
Mr. Pawar’s remarks were met approvingly by Maharashtra Congress leaders, with Leader of Opposition and senior Congressman Vijay Wadettiwar on Wednesday calling the 83-year-old NCP patriarch an adherent of Gandhian ideals who understood the need for a strong Congress in the country in order to preserve democracy.
Remarking that no one could eace Gandhian ideals, the Congress LoP launched a broadside on the ruling Mahayuti coalition (of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP), referring to it as “unseasonal rain”.
CM Shinde reacts
Meanwhile, Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde took shots at Mr. Pawar’s remarks, stating that the rival Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) had anyway started acting like the Congress as it was speaking the same language of the grand old party.
“It is only a formality before the Sena (UBT) merges into the Congress,” Mr. Shinde said.
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