In the midst of a political rift between Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said that the senior Pawar will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month, during which he may change his mind on joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In an exclusive interview with India TV, Athawale said that PM Modi and Sharad Pawar will meet in Pune and will speak on several matters, which might include a possible alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
Earlier this month, in a major dramatic development in Maharashtra politics, nine NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, joined the Eknath Shinde-led state government. After this, Ajit was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
The move virtually split the party founded by the veteran leader and Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar. The junior Pawar, leader of the breakaway NCP faction, earlier wrote to ECI as NCP president and staked claim to the party name and 'clock' symbol, two days before he joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
In response, Sharad Pawar filed a caveat with the ECI saying no order should be passed unless the poll panel takes note of his contention on Ajit's petition.
Meanwhile, Athawale made a big claim that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is received flak within the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A. and said that he should rejoin the NDA, where he would be welcomed.
He also called the opposition alliance a 'dead alliance' and the coming together of all opposition parties will not affect NDA's performance in next year's Lok Sabha elections.
The Union Minister also refuted allegations from opposition parties on the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) actions over the Manipur violence, saying that at least 35,000 security forces have been deployed in the state. He further accused the opposition of politicising the issue by not letting any discussions in the Parliament despite the Centre's approval.
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