Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said discussions on a merger between the party's two factions had halted after her cousin Ajit Pawar's death. She added that she had received no communication from the other faction on the issue.
Sule also dismissed speculation about her party joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Her remarks came amid renewed speculation about a possible reunion between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the NCP headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.
"When my brother (then NCP chief Ajit Pawar) was alive, there were discussions about a merger. A date had also been decided. But the day my brother passed away, the merger issue came to a full stop for me and within our party," Sule told reporters.
"There has been no discussion on joining the NDA. When there has been no beginning, where does the question of a full stop arise?" she said, responding to a question on whether she had also ruled out her party joining the ruling alliance at the Centre.
The Baramati MP said her party had not issued any statement on the merger issue since Ajit Pawar's death and had not responded to statements made by the other faction.
"No spokesperson from our side has spoken on this issue in the last several months," she said.
"Not a single phone call, WhatsApp message, SMS, letter or email has come to me from anyone in the Ajit Pawar faction regarding a merger. Nobody has contacted me. No one has met me regarding this," Sule added.
'My relationship with him was based on love and affection'
Sule said her relationship with Ajit Pawar was rooted in personal affection rather than political considerations.
"For you, this may be a discussion or gossip. For us, these are emotions. Some things are done from the heart. My relationship with my brother was that of love and affection. He is no longer here. What is the point of discussing it now?" she said.
Asked whether discussions could take place with Ajit Pawar's family, including his wife Sunetra Pawar, Sule said personal relationships should not be mixed with politics.
She also declined to comment on statements made by senior leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel and Hasan Mushrif.
"These are senior leaders who have worked with my father. I am much younger than them in age and experience. The values my parents taught me are that one should not speak disrespectfully about people who are older or more experienced," she said.
Sule urges media to focus on policy issues
Expressing frustration over repeated questions about a possible merger, Sule urged the media to focus on substantive policy matters and hold political leaders accountable. She said she was "already bored with the subject".
"There are several important issues facing the country and the world. There are serious policy-making issues that need to be discussed. The FCRA Bill, One Nation, One Election and several other important issues are before us. We should be discussing these issues," she said.
On her meetings with senior NCP leader Praful Patel, Sule said they were related to parliamentary committee work and not political discussions.
"I am a member of the Finance Committee, and he is also involved in committee work. We also meet in connection with the JPC on the FCRA. These are institutional meetings, not political discussions," she said.
