PM Modi News | Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule Meet PM Modi Amid Buzz Over NCP Support To NDA

[00:00:00]Uh, Sharad Pawar NCP SP founder and Supriya Sule NCP SP MP have met with the Prime Minister now. This is of course going to set a lot of buzz in Maharashtra politics. Remember NCP SP is a very crucial block of the opposition.

[00:00:14]It has eight [music] MPs and this meeting comes at a very critical time.

[00:00:18]NCP SP MP Supriya Sule was also present at the BJP protest. She was also present at >> [music] >> uh, Rahul Gandhi's protest in front of the Prime Minister's house yesterday, but today she has met with the Prime Minister Sharad Pawar and the Prime Minister have known [music] each other for a long time. So, it's easy for them to also say that this is a casual cordial meeting between two leaders, but remember there's also a lot of buzz around >> [music] >> NCP SP sort of aligning with the NDA when it comes to the delimitation [music] bill. There are also speculations going around a possible merger between the two factions of NCP especially with the deep of ours [music] a death. Uh, but what is going to happen, what happened in that meeting is still unknown, is still uncertain. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharad Pawar have been uh, friends, have known each other for a long time. So, uh, they have a lot to talk about, but Maharashtra [music] politics is undergoing a certain flux with six MPs of uh, Shiv Sena UBT joining Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena just recently. Uh, the numbers of Shiv Sena [music] led by Eknath Shinde have also gone up to 13 in the Lok Sabha. Now, NCP SP which is trying very hard to retain uh, its MPs, eight MPs. It's a crucial [music] block, remember remember.

[00:01:27]Uh, it's also met with the Prime Minister now, but is there a movement that is on the cards? We don't know that for sure, but there's a lot of buzz [music] around what is happening with regard to NCP SP. What is that call that Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule will take?

[00:01:41]Is is is this uh, uh, is this another move, uh, you know, towards clo- closer, uh, to the NDA or is it was just uh, it was just a casual meeting. My colleague Akhilesh Sharma joins us with more details on this. Akhilesh, a lot of buzz around Maharashtra politics on what NCP SP is going to do with regard to important bills. Eight MPs, very critical block. What do you have to say?

[00:02:04]What could be the most important agenda behind this meeting today?

[00:02:08]>> Well, officially they haven't said anything about the agenda of the meeting, but both of them, Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule, both they had a meeting with Narendra Modi in his Parliament office, and I was present there and I was trying to speak to them, but I could not get the agenda of the meeting.

[00:02:26]But one thing is for sure that the BJP is trying to get support of the NCP, Sharad Pawar, that is for sure. There are eight MPs in Lok Sabha, one MP in Rajya Sabha. So these nine MPs are crucial. But the BJP also wants that that before they join the NDA, they should merge with another NCP faction.

[00:02:45]So this is what the BJP is keen for, and so far they haven't spoken about it. But yesterday the way NCP Sharad Pawar extended his support to the Congress party, Sharad Sule was present when Rahul Gandhi had gone to protest in front of his residence.

[00:03:01]So that also sends a very mixed signal about their future course of action.

[00:03:05]They may come and say that they discussed some issues related to Maharashtra development and all. But of course we cannot ignore the fact that this meeting has taken place at a time when there is a buzz about NCP Sharad Pawar coming closer to NDA and the BJP.

[00:03:25]>> Right. Also Akhilesh, help us understand how is the political arithmetic now because you know, you have a substantial block of NCP SP MPs. The party has managed to keep all all its flock together. But with the Shiv Sena exodus that happened, with the Shiv Sena split that happened, clearly parties in Maharashtra are also anxious and apprehensive.

[00:03:46]>> Yes, correct Masuda. In fact there are a lot of permutation and combination as far as the merger of NCP's both factions is concerned. we know for sure that Sumitra Pawar and her son, Parth, they are not keen that there should be a merger because they believe that if the merger takes place, then senior Sharad Pawar and his daughter, Supriya Sule, will call the shots, which they do not want. And that's why they are opposing the merger. But there are other leaders like Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, etc., who are keen that they should have a stronger NCP in Maharashtra because this was the wish of Ajit Pawar, whose incidentally birth anniversary is today.

[00:04:22]So, this is very interesting in the sense that a lot of things are happening. And but the BJP in the meanwhile wants that both these factions should come together, they merge with each other before they join the NDA and NCP Sharad Pawar extend their support for the delimitation bill. One thing is sure, that the government intends to bring this delimitation bill in the current session of Parliament. And it is also hoping that NCP Sharad Pawar will extend their support.

[00:04:53]>> Right, that's a very important piece of breaking news and very important insight from Akhilesh Sharma, who's very clear that the government will bring the delimitation bill this session, which is why a lot of these meetings are also critical because there's so much that happens behind closed doors and it's important to read them as critical takeaways as well. Thank you, Akhilesh, for joining us.

[00:05:12]We're also joined by Jitendra Dixit, our Maharashtra correspondent and you know, somebody who understands Maharashtra politics uh uh intently. Uh Jitendra Dixit, what exactly is the buzz in Maharashtra now? What was this meeting for?

[00:05:28]>> Uh this meeting was long anticipated in Maharashtra's political circle for two reasons. Uh first was like what will be the NCP SP stand over the delimitation bill. So, this was the question which was being discussed in Maharashtra's political circle. And last week, Supriya Sule addressed a press conference and in which she said that if uh states are getting 50% representation in the Lok Sabha post delimitation, then the party could consider it and it could also talk with other allies in the India alliance. So, that is one thing. So, after this softened stand of NCP it is believed that it is creating a ground for NCP SP to join the NDA in the long run and after this it is likely this has been discussed in Maharashtra's political corridors that in near future NCP SP will also become part of the NDA. But our sources said that from BJP it has been told to NCP SP that first both the NCPs should unite and then you can in that manner you can join NDA.

[00:06:40]Other thing is that meeting of Supriya Sule's also important here with the Prime Minister because it is being said that if NCP SP merges with Ajit Pawar's NCP, then in that case Supriya Sule could get a cabinet birth in the next union cabinet expansion. So, this is also a very important information which sources are telling us. But so far on record it has not been declared by Supriya Sule or by Sharad Pawar that meeting that merger was discussed in this meeting with a Prime Minister Modi and what sources tell us that the meeting was immediately to discuss the stand of NCP SP over the delimitation bill in the parliament.

[00:07:31]>> Right. Jitendra Dikshit, stay with us.

[00:07:33]This is just to summarize what's happening. Today an important meeting took place between Prime Minister Modi and NCP SP founder Sharad Pawar and his daughter also MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule. This comes at a time where there's a lot of buzz going around Maharashtra politics. Who is joining whom? This all has intensified after six Shiv Sena UBT MPs broke ranks with UBT and joined Shiv Sena that's led by Eknath Shinde. Now NCP SP is in the spotlight now. Eight MPs, it's a critical block, remember? And what BJP sources have also told us, like Jitendra Dixit was also reporting, that BJP sources have told us that NCP SP and NCP have to first merge for them to even, you know, align with the NDA. That's the big thing that BJP leaders have said about informal meetings that have taken place amongst these leaders. [music] So the BJP has put the ball in the NCP's court.

[00:08:26]Jitendra Dixit also help us understand Ajit Pawar's death has in fact complicated the entire situation, right?

[00:08:33]Because it's Parth Pawar who's calling the shots in NCP. That's the Ajit Pawar faction. Sunetra Pawar is the Deputy CM, but she doesn't have the finance portfolio as well. But the BJP does not want to let go of Ajit Pawar's faction because they feel that, you know, they don't want to do that. So what is the internal political dynamics that is family politics as also the West Maharashtra politics that's playing out here? Explain to our viewers what is the nuance here.

[00:08:58]>> Sure. So firstly, before Ajit Pawar died, talks were going on between the two factions of the NCP for reunification. But that those talks went off the track after Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash earlier this year suddenly. So after that leaders from both the sides said that they are not going to come together, especially from NCP Ajit from Ajit Pawar's faction. There are two leaders, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare who's state NCP president.

[00:09:33]They are not very keen about the merger because they believe that if both the factions will come together, then their importance in the party will reduce and everything will be controlled by Parth Pawar. Now, Parth Pawar is a figure who is not being taken well by other leaders of the party because of the way he operates and due to his mannerism or say like due to his lack of inexperience in the politics. So, uh a large section of leaders within the Ajit Pawar's NCP are not very keen over the leadership of Parth Pawar. So, what we see today is that there are two factions within Ajit Pawar's NCP. One is led by Sunetra Pawar and Parth Pawar and other faction is being led by Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare. So, this infight is going on within the NCP and Tatkare and Praful Patel faction are opposing the merger of both the NCPs, both the factions of the NCP.