NCP (SP) MPs meet Modi amid Delimitation Bills, reunion buzz

The delegation, led by NCP (SP) national working president and Baramati MP, Supriya Sule, met Modi at his Parliament office. The meeting lasted nearly 20 minutes

MUMBAI: Amid the uncertainty over the controversial Delimitation Bill and FCRA Bill, as well as speculation over the NCP (SP) inching closer to the ruling BJP, all eight MPs of the Sharad Pawar-led party met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with a delegation of NCP (SP) MPs led by party Working President Supriya Sule, in New Delhi on Monday. (PTI)

After the meeting, which took place at 11:00am in New Delhi, NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe said the meeting should not be linked to talk of the party joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Kolhe said the delegation discussed developmental issues in Maharashtra including loan waivers, drought and the agrarian crisis, and issues concerning their respective constituencies. They also sought the centre’s intervention to address these issues.

The delegation, led by NCP (SP) national working president and Baramati MP, Supriya Sule, met Modi at his Parliament office. The meeting lasted nearly 20 minutes.

The meeting came three weeks after NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar met Modi along with Sule, renewing speculation about a possible merger between the Sharad Pawar-led camp and the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP. The meeting also fuelled speculation that the NCP (SP) could support the Delimitation Bill. The BJP leadership had shown keen interest in reuniting the two NCP factions, which would help shore up its numbers in Parliament..

“We discussed issues concerning our constituencies. We discussed the Nashik-Pune semi-high-speed railway project, for which an agitation was held on Sunday; Indrayani Medicity, Chakan MIDC and other issues. We also discussed the demand to confer the Bharat Ratna on Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule and Annabhau Sathe,” he said.

Kolhe said the delegation had repeatedly raised the Nashik-Pune railway issue with the railway ministry but had not received a resolution, prompting the MPs to take it up with the prime minister. “If there are issues concerning the central government, where else should we raise them if not with the centre,” he asked.

On July 15, Sule had said her party would consider supporting the proposed controversial Delimitation Bill only if the centre explicitly guarantees a 50% increase in the number of seats for all states in equal proportion. She also demanded that the legislation clearly spell out the formula to be used for redrawing parliamentary constituencies.

In his meeting with Modi on July 22, Pawar said he had raised concerns relating to the agriculture sector, which has been badly impacted by erratic rainfall, recurring drought and poor water management. He said administrative apathy, policy shortcomings and inadequate implementation of government schemes had aggravated the farmers’ distress.