Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and union agric u l t u re m i n i s t e r, S h a r a d Pawar ruled out any possibility of the NCP merging with the Congress.
In an informal chat with the media, Pawar also ruled out any move to shift deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal to Delhi after he (Pawar) asked Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to reduce his portfolios. “I only read about it in the newspapers,” he quipped.
Pawar made it clear that he has only asked the PM to reduce his burden of portfolios since he was at a stage where he would like to spare more time consolidating his party. “It is the PM’s prerogative to decide which portfolio should be allocated to me. I have not been asked to give my additional portfolios to any other NCP leader or my daughter Supriya Sule. She is least interested in such positions and is happy doing work as a MP. I cannot ask for more berths in the cabinet, as the UPA has a definite formula by which each party gets representation on the basis of its strength,” Pawar observed.
The function was organised by deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal, along with MP Samir Bhujbal and MLA Pankaj Bhujbal. “Now that Pawar himself has clarified, the media would not keep on shunting me to Delhi,” Bhujbal, who was also present, remarked. Pawar, who has been under a lot of criticism for the inflation in the food sector, has already called on the PM and asked him to reduce his portfolio burden. He hopes that it would be over before the parliament meets for the monsoon session.
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