- Maharashtra CM Fadnavis mocked Sanjay Raut's call for NCP-Congress merger
- Fadnavis called Congress a sinking ship and doubted smart leaders would join
- Sources say Sharad Pawar may consider merger to prevent party desertions
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has mocked Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut over his remarks calling for a merger of NCP Sharad Pawar faction with the Congress.
"Begaani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana," Fadnavis said taking a swipe at Raut when asked about his comment.
"The person who is talking the most about the merger of other smaller parties with the Congress Party is someone who has nothing to do with the Congress or with those other smaller parties," Fadnavis said.
The Sena UBT Rajya Sabha MP earlier this week had said that NCP-SP patriarch Sharad Pawar should take the lead in merging smaller parties that were formed after breaking away from the Congress back into the Grand Old Party.
Talking about the speculation around the possibility of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and Sharad Pawar's party merging with the Congress, the chief minister cryptically said that "smart leaders won't board a sinking ship".
"Congress is a sinking ship. These are smart leaders. They won't board a sinking ship," the chief minister remarked.
Fadnavis further stated that even if the merger happens, it will only benefit the BJP.
Refusing to comment further, the chief minister said that the BJP is keeping a watch on the situation.
Read | Eyes On Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Leaders Push For 'Akhand' Congress
Sources have told NDTV that Sharad Pawar may be open to the idea of merger to stem further revolt in his ranks. Sources say that some MPs from his party have grown closer to the BJP and may be ready to jump the ship. And Pawar's merger move, according to sources, may be an attempt to check desertions.
Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Nana Patole on Friday claimed that a proposal for NCP-SP's merger has already been made by Sharad Pawar and is in the works. "The proposal from the NCP, from Pawar Saheb, had already been given earlier but got delayed due to some reasons. But I feel that with whatever is happening in the country's politics right now... to stop the large-scale division of votes... all parties that have secular, pluralistic ideologies should unite," he told reporters.
Earlier reacting to Sanjay Raut's remarks advocating merger, NCP-SP leader and Sharad Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, had called it a "good proposal", but added that only time will tell what happens next. "Let it rain first, then we'll see whether to take an umbrella or a raincoat," she had said in a cryptic response without rejecting Raut's proposal.
