NCP MLAs urged BJP alliance in June: Praful Patel

Mumbai: Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar faction on Thursday claimed those aligned with Sharad Pawar at present had signed a letter in June last year asking the party founder to join hands with the BJP to form government in Maharashtra.

The NCP split on July 2 this year after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government comprising the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Patel said, “Those who are currently with Sharad Pawar had signed a letter requesting him to join hands with BJP in 2022. When Shinde was in Surat and later in Guwahati, all 51 NCP MLAs, including some 15 ministers in the then MVA government, had signed a letter requesting Sharad Pawar to join hands with Eknath Shinde and the BJP.” “We at the time presumed (BJP leader and current deputy chief minister) Devendra Fadnavis would be chief minister. Surprisingly nobody talks about the incident of 2022,” Patel said.

Responding to a question related to Sharad Pawar’s stand on the letter, Patel said, “If the question is were we permitted to talk to the BJP, the answer is yes. Jayant Patil, then state president, made a call to Sharad Pawar. He (Patil) said we are going to meet Amit Shah.” Patel claimed Sharad Pawar cautioned Patil against attracting media attention and suggested he (Patil) meet the Union home minister discreetly.

“Two-three days passed and Shinde was sworn in as chief minister (in end June last year with BJP support),” Patel claimed.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government of the undivided Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress under Uddhav Thackeray fell in June last year after the rebellion by Shinde.

During the time the MVA was being formed in late 2019, Patel said he had asked Sharad Pawar why the Sena, with 56 MLAs, was not sharing the post of CM with the NCP with 54 MLAs and the latter had told him to speak on the issue with Uddhav Thackeray.

Patel further said, “When I told him (Sharad Pawar) my opinion, he kept mum. Uddhav and Aaditya were there in the meeting. We would not have taken this step (breaking away) if the CM post was shared with the NCP.” Asked if some NCP leaders joined the Shinde government out of fear of action by probe agencies, Patel said Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray had used “the worst kind of language against Sharad Pawar” but the NCP and Sena still joined hands to form government.

“The Sena and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Who indulged in riots against north Indians, south Indians and minorities? Was it Shiv Sena or the BJP? They used vicious language. But we kept it aside and joined hands with the Sena,” Patel claimed.

Queried about the NCP still having hopes of getting chief ministership, Patel said, “Until Assembly polls, Eknath Shinde is CM. There is no vacancy. We should not have any hopes and we don’t. After that, it is a matter of coalition.”