Sharad Pawar denies split in NCP; says Ajit continues to be leader of party

Nationalist Congress Party NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday asserted that there was no split in the party and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar continues to be its leader reported news agency PTISharad Pawar also said that some leaders have left the NCP by taking a different political stand but it cannot be termed as a splitSharad Pawar was talking to reporters at his hometown Baramati in Pune district in the morning before leaving for Kolhapur where he is scheduled to address a rally later in the dayA day earlier his daughter and partys working president Supriya Sule called Ajit Pawar a senior leader and MLA of the party Now he Ajit Pawar has taken a stand that is against the party and we have given a complaint to the assembly speaker and are awaiting his response Sule who is NCPs Baramati MP told reportersWhen asked about Sules statement that there is no split in the NCP and Ajit Pawar is a leader of the party Pawar senior said Yes there is no question about itHow can anybody say that there is a split in NCP Theres no question that Ajit Pawar is our party leader he saidWhat does a split in a political party mean Split occurs when a large group in a party is separated at the national level But no such thing has happened here Some people left the party some took a different standIn democracy it is their right to take a decision he addedAjit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs had joined the Eknath Shindeled Shiv SenaBharatiya Janata Party BJP government in the state on July 2Replying to a query Sharad Pawar also said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA comprising the NCP Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT and Congress will perform better than the BJPled National Democratic Alliance NDA in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha electionsWhen asked about a survey that projected the opposition INDIA alliance getting a good response against the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls Pawar said I havent seen the survey yet But yes we are talking with some survey organisations where we can clearly see that MVA will win maximum seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha electionsThe INDIA alliance is scheduled to hold its third meeting on August 31 and September 1 in MumbaiTalking about the onion exports duty issue the veteran leader said The government should reduce the 40 per cent duty imposed on onion exports There is no benefit to onion growers Everybody knows that onion is considered an arable crop Hence the government should look into this sensitive matterI tried to contact some ministers in the Centre but could not have a word with them Talks about limitations on the export of sugar are also underway by the central government he addedWith inputs from PTI