- The NCP factions had reportedly planned a merger before Ajit Pawar's death last month
- Sule also said the factions performed well in the municipal elections when they contested together
- On theories about the Ajit Pawar plane crash, the MP said she will wait for the findings of the inquiry
On a day the two NCP factions were reportedly supposed to merge before Ajit Pawar's death last month, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said, "What is there to talk about now that dada (Ajit Pawar) is no more?"
Several NCP leaders, including Sharad Pawar himself, had said that talks on merging the two factions had reached an advanced stage and the reunification was supposed to be announced by Ajit Pawar, who was the Maharashtra deputy chief minister, on February 12.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Thursday, Sule, who is Sharad Pawar's daughter and Ajit Pawar's cousin, was asked whether the merger was now off the table.
"What is there to talk about now that dada is no more? Things were different when he was there. There were several discussions. Let's see what happens," she said in Hindi.
Pressed on the issue, she responded, "Let's see. What's the rush? It's been only 16-17 days since we lost my brother. We are still processing our grief. Let that happen first... Sometimes I still can't believe he is no more. Politics can go on, but we need to deal with our grief first."
"The family was together. You saw how good the performance was when we (both NCPs) fought together. But let's see, let's leave some things to destiny," the MP added.
When it was pointed out to her that Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra, had taken oath as deputy chief minister just four days after the death, Sule said there are "responsibilities" that need to be fulfilled and she does not want to comment beyond that.
Crash Theories
Sharad Pawar's grand-nephew Rohit Pawar gave a presentation on Tuesday and said the death of Ajit Pawar, who was his uncle, was the result of a conspiracy.
"I can't say whether this is a political conspiracy or not, but it is 100% a conspiracy... For senior party leaders, this incident and its investigation are not important. What matters to them is retaining their position in power," he had said about the plane crash in which Ajit Pawar was killed.
"Dada was supposed to travel by car to Pune and then to Baramati. But he was delayed and decided to travel by plane," he said.
When NDTV asked Sule about this on Thursday, the MP said Rohit Pawar's presentation was factual.
"The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) has also said a detailed inquiry will be held. We will wait for the findings of that inquiry," she said.
