A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday set the political tongue wagging. The meeting came a day after Union Minister Nitin Gadkari joined the dinner hosted by Pawar at his New Delhi residence where Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut too was present.
After the meeting, Pawar told the waiting media that he took up the issues of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) recent action against Raut, and the Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari’s delay in approving 12 names recommended by the State Cabinet for nomination to the Legislative Council.
Pawar met Modi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Parliament along with NCP Lok Sabha member PP Mohammad Faizal, who raised issues related to his constituency Lakshadweep. The Modi-Pawar meeting lasted for 20-25 minutes.
“The Governor has not been functioning as per norms for the past two-and-a-half years. He has kept pending the issue of nominating 12 members to the Legislative Council. I drew the Prime Minister’s attention to these issues….he promised to look into them,” Pawar said, addressing the Press after the meeting in the Parliament premises.
Pawar said he also took up the issue of the ED action against Raut. “Raut is a Rajya Sabha member.
What was the need for the ED action against Raut? Injustice has been done to Raut who is also Editor of an established and reputed news organisation,” Pawar said he told the Prime Minister. Asked whether the Central investigation agencies' action against leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) affected the stability of the Maharasthra Government, Pawar exuded confidence that the Government will complete its entire term. Shiv Sena-NCP and Congress are in an alliance Government in Maharashtra led by Uddhav Thackeray.
"The MVA Government will complete its full term. There is no threat to the Government. After five years, we will form the government again," he said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar too downplayed the meeting, saying not much should be read into it. "The country's Prime Minister and the leader of a national party can meet to discuss development issues. There are some important issues on which discussion is required…they must have taken those up," Ajit said.
BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said the meeting showed there was no bitterness between the NCP and the BJP. "The meeting between the two leaders only highlights the fact that despite the ED action against NCP leaders, there is no bitterness between the BJP and the NCP," he claimed.
Pawar's meeting also came in the backdrop of the demand by NCP youth wing to appoint him the UPA chairperson. However, two days ago in Kolhapur, Pawar had said he was not interested in becoming the UPA chairman. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also met Pawar last week in New Delhi in connection with the "misuse" of investigative agencies by the Central Government.