New Delhi: Clearing the air on having been “approached” by the BJP with a cabinet portfolio, NCP leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday refuted the claims and said the Congress should introspect on why they are making such statements, news agency ANI reported. Her remarks came in the wake of media reports claiming former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said she has been offered a central cabinet berth.
Speaking to the media in Mumbai, Sule said, “I have received no such offer and neither has anyone had any conversations on those lines with me. I only know about the 15 August sales offer. You should ask them (Maharashtra Congress leaders) why they are giving such statements. I have no idea. I am personally in touch with senior Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Gaurav Gogoi but I am not in touch with any of their leaders in Maharashtra."
According to the ANI report, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, questioned the recent meeting between NCP veteran Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, who heads the rival faction of the party.
Wadettiwar claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forth a condition for Ajit Pawar to be made the Maharashtra chief minister. The Congress leader said that Ajit Pawar must have been asked by PM Modi to convince his uncle to join BJP-led NDA, reported ANI.
“Why is Ajit Pawar frequently meeting Sharad Pawar? The BJP's position in the state has improved even after they engineered a split in two parties (NCP, Shiv Sena). Hence, they are having to turn to Sharad Pawar as he is a mass leader. Without his help, the BJP won't win more Lok Sabha seats from the state next year," ANI quoted Wadettiwar as saying.
"Another reason (for the meetings) is that Narendra Modi has told Ajit Pawar that he cannot become the chief minister unless he can convince Sharad Pawar to come on board (join NDA),” he added.