Both NCP factions had decided to come together, says Harshvardhan Patil on January 18 meeting

Talk of a merger of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is gathering pace in the state. Party leaders are meeting Sharad Pawar repeatedly. Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar has hinted that the right decisions will be taken at the right time. Several leaders are now giving their views on the merger. MP Supriya Sule said the subject ended for her the moment her brother was gone. Former minister Harshvardhan Patil has also made a significant remark on the matter.

Patil said he was himself present at the merger meeting and that Ajit Dada had a role at the time in the move to come together. He said several leaders had reacted to this, but it was a fact that a decision to come together had been taken then. According to him, that is why both factions fought the last election together. Patil said that, unfortunately, Dada met with an accident, which caused him great grief, and that he is reminded of Dada at every step even today. He added that things have changed after Dada.

Patil said he has not had any meeting recently. He is a member of the core committee and, as Pawar Saheb was in hospital in the interim, there could be no discussion. He said that if a meeting is now called, he will attend.

On the decision on a merger, Patil said that even if they are senior people in the party, it has to be accepted that the decision on a merger is taken by the party president, whether it is his party or Ajit Dada's NCP. He said this is generally the practice in his party. A final decision was taken at that time after discussion. In the end he went to Baramati with Pawar Saheb and then the decision was made. Patil said a meeting was held on January 18 and Dada had come to his place in it, as everyone knows. He said no one has spoken to him about the merger at this time. In his words, personal opinion does not count for much in the party; collective opinion does, because the party runs on teamwork.

On the core committee meeting, Patil said that when the meeting is held, he will understand the party's stand. He said that if he knew who met whom and what was discussed, he would tell, but no discussion has reached him. He feels the core committee may discuss the matter next week. He said that generally the heads of the two parties talk, then the core committees of both, and after that the party's MLAs; this is a process. For now, he said, there has been no discussion with him on the subject.

Asked what happened in the discussion on December 17 last, Patil said not all such things are meant to be told to everyone. He said the question of convenience or inconvenience comes later, but now that Dada is no more, what is there to tell.