Sign in

‘Leaders leaving NCP (SP) because of Supriya Sule’: Sonia Doohan

NCP (SP) students wing national president Sonia Doohan criticizes Baramati MP Supriya Sule for failing to become a leader, leading to party members leaving.

Updated on: May 29, 2024, 09:02:41 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

MUMBAI: NCP (SP) students wing national president Sonia Doohan on Tuesday criticised Baramati MP Supriya Sule, saying that she had failed to become their leader. “Several leaders are leaving the party because of her style of functioning and the people around her,” she alleged, pointing to Dheeraj Sharma, national president, youth wing, who left the NCP (SP) and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction on Monday.

National president of the NCP students’ wing, Sonia Doohan. (HT Photo)
National president of the NCP students’ wing, Sonia Doohan. (HT Photo)

“Pawar saheb will remain our leader forever but Sule, who we will respect as his daughter, failed to become our leader,” said Doohan. “Leaders like us, who are ready to go to any extent for Pawar saheb, are compelled to leave the party.” Doohan asked Sule to introspect on why people had been leaving the party in recent times.

Sule was appointed as the national working president of the party last year. Within months of her elevation, Ajit chose to split the party and join the BJP along with most of the NCP legislators.

Doohan, who was considered a trusted aide of Sharad Pawar, is currently serving as the national president of the students wing of NCP (SP). She was the one who successfully executed the rescue operation of five MLAs from a five-star hotel in Gurugram in November 2019 following a split in the NCP led by Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar. All the five MLAs—Babasaheb Patil, Daulat Daroda, Anil Patil, Nitin Pawar and Narhari Zirwal—were shifted to Haryana to a heavily guarded, undisclosed location, from where Doohan not only rescued them but also brought them back to Pawar’s Mumbai residence.

Doohan also clarified that although she was preparing to leave the NCP (SP), she was not going to join any other political party. There were speculations that Doohan would join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP along with Dheeraj Sharma. NCP insiders said that she was also approached by the party along with many other leaders.

  • Faisal Malik
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Faisal Malik

    Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.Read More