Mumbai, Oct 10 (PTI) NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule on Saturday said political engagements do not necessarily mean an alliance or alignment and called for a “healthy” dialogue across party lines, stressing that her party and Shiv Sena (UBT) are keen to have DMK in the INDIA bloc.
Her remarks come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Baramati, the home turf of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and the invitation extended by her party to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a women’s event in December.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave here, Sule said her party and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are holding talks with the DMK and wanted it to join the opposition alliance.
“We are in dialogue with the DMK and Uddhav Thackeray. The NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are both in talks with the DMK. We are very keen that they be with us in the INDIA alliance,” she said.
On speculation about Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) holding back-channel discussions with the government, Sule said dialogue was essential in a democracy.
“In any democracy, you have to have dialogue. How can there be a loggerhead? This is our politics,” she said.
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Baramati and her party’s invitation to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for a women’s event in December, Sule said leaders from different political parties could engage with one another for a common cause.
“We have invited Priyanka Gandhi for a very big issue of women in December,” she said, adding that the event had been scheduled for December 16 but Priyanka would be unable to attend.
“If, for a good cause, people meet across the board, there is good debate, there is good dialogue, something good will come out of it,” Sule said.
She cited the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as an example of a policy measure that involved continuity across governments, noting that the then UPA (government) had developed the bill while the NDA implemented it.
“What’s wrong in having a healthy dialogue? That doesn’t mean you are operating (together),” she said.
On the proposed delimitation exercise, Sule said the INDIA bloc would take a collective decision after examining the proposed legislation.
“There is no bill that has been shown to us, sent to us, or that we have read. So unless the bill comes into our hands, and we read it and study it, we cannot comment on it,” she said.
Sule rejected the suggestion that Maharashtra faced an Opposition vacuum or lacked a credible face to challenge Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“I disagree with you completely,” she said, arguing that the BJP-led alliance’s position was built on splits in rival parties and the use of central agencies.
“If you break people’s parties, you use all these agencies, and then you come to power, it doesn’t make you a popular leader,” Sule said.
She also criticised the state government’s economic performance, alleging delays in payments to contractors and salaries, and cited inflation, unemployment and corruption as major concerns.
“Double engine government is not delivering on the ground,” the Baramati MP charged.
When asked whether the current CJP agitation resembles the Anna Hazare movement, Sule said the current public anger had similarities with the sentiment of the old anti-corruption movement.
“I don’t think it’s the Anna moment. It’s a different way of agitation, but it’s a very similar sentiment among the people,” she said.
Referring to the political turmoil during the erstwhile Congress-led UPA regime of which the undivided NCP was a constituent, Sule said, “Nothing very different is happening now.”
She said Gen Z wants accountability, clear messaging, and everybody has to play by the “rules of the game.”
Sule, daughter of veteran politician Sharad Pawar, said she had no problem with her political identity rooted in an established political family.
“This is something we lived with all the time. It’s the baggage you have to live with for the rest of your life. I have no problem with it,” she added. PTI MR NSK
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