Ajit my nephew, meeting with him not secret: Sharad Pawar; 'Some persuading me'

“What is wrong with meeting my nephew?” Sharad Pawar said after his closed-door meeting triggered doubt over senior Pawar's next move.

A day after Sharad Pawar's 'secret' meeting with Ajit Pawar at an industrialist's house in Pune, senior Pawar said it was no secret meeting. "What is wrong with meeting my nephew? If a senior person in a family desires to meet another family member, there should not be any issue with that," Sharad Pawar said. "He is my nephew and I am the senior-most member of the family," Pawar said in Solapur. Read | 'If Modi, Nawaz Sharif can…': Sanjay Raut on Ajit secretly meeting Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar said he is the senior-most of the family and there should not be any issue if he meets his nephew.

The closed-door meeting between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar at industrialist Atul Chordia's residence in Pune triggered speculation that Sharad Pawar might make some announcement regarding NCP's split. Putting the speculations to rest, Pawar on Sunday said NCP will never align with the BJP, though some 'well wishers' have been trying to persuade him. Sharad Pawar did not name the well-wishers but it was obvious that he meant Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil. Patil was also present at Saturday's meeting.

“As the national president of the NCP, I am making it clear that my party (NCP) will not go with the BJP. Any association with the Bharatiya Janata Party does not fit in NCP's political policy,” Sharad Pawar said.

"Some of our well-wishers are trying to see if there can be any change in our stand. That is why they are trying to have a cordial discussion with us,” Sharad Pawar added.

What happened at Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar closed-door meeting?

What happened at the closed-door meeting between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar has not been disclosed by either of the two. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut downplayed the meeting and said Sharad Pawar probably invited Ajit to the opposition INDIA bloc's meeting in Mumbai. Raut joked that if Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif could meet, then why not the Pawars.

Jayant Patil said he was with Sharad Pawar when they went to an acquaintance's house but he was not aware of what happened at the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar and neither was it a secret meeting.

Sharad Pawar's grand nephew Rohit Pawar said he was not aware of the meeting but even if it took place, there was nothing wrong in maintaining communication in a family.

The meeting assumed significance ahead of the INDIA bloc's meeting in Mumbai as Sharad Pawar being a key opposition leader recently shared stage with PM Modi. On Sunday, he shared the stage with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Solapur at an event.