Amid delimitation Bill buzz, NCP-SP MPs meet PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Eight Lok Sabha MPs of NCP(SP) led by Supriya Sule met PM Narendra Modi on Monday amid buzz that govt is eyeing their support for its constitution amendment bill for delimitation and indications from the governing alliance that it has two-thirds support in Parliament required for the legislation’s passage.Sule and her colleagues said their meeting with Modi was focused on development issues concerning Maharashtra, but, coming as it did days after the party’s patriarch Sharad Pawar met PM ostensibly over similar matters, political circles were agog with speculation that the regional party was coming closer to BJP over its centrepiece bill.Last month, Sule had said her party may consider backing delimitation if all states see an equal 50% rise in their Lok Sabha seats — something which, interestingly, forms the core of the bill — while insisting that NCP(SP) will take a final decision in consultation with its opposition allies.Meanwhile, Congress is upset over its ally NCP(SP)’S talks with the top brass of BJP at the Centre and in the state.“When the opposition has cornered Prime Minister Modi and home minister Shah over recent police violence during CJP [Cockroach Janta Party] protest at Jantar Mantar, such meetings of opposition members give the wrong message. Ultimately, the leadership of that party will have to decide which path to follow,” a senior Congress member said.Stressing that there was no discussion about the delimitation bill during the meeting, Shirur NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe said, “The purpose of the meeting was to seek intervention of the Prime Minister in some of the key issues such as agrarian crisis in the state, long pending Pune-Nashik railway project and infrastructure problems faced by industries.”
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Former CM and senior Congress functionary Prithviraj Chavan said, “I do not know the agenda of such meetings, but apart from such scheduled meetings, some secret meetings also keep happening. Some members of the parties in the govt have told me that they will be attempting to split NCP (SP). I do not know if the meeting had anything to do with it.”NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar met Modi last month. A meeting between Supriya and Shah followed.As these meetings were happening in Delhi, the party’s former state president Jayant Patil held closed-door talks with CM Devendra Fadnavis in the latter’s Mumbai residence. NCP seniors Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were also present there.(With inputs from Anurag Bende in Pune)
