Merger decision to be taken by leaders of NCP factions: Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said leaders from the two NCP factions will settle the issue of their merger, and the BJP will comment on it only after a decision is made.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said he presided over the first cabinet meeting today since the death of NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last month.

"We paid tributes to the late leader and welcomed Sunetra Pawar. Under her leadership, the NCP performed well in the Zilla Parishad elections. We wish her well. Regarding the merger of the two NCP factions, it is up to the parties to decide. The BJP will react when a decision is made,'' he said.

Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others after his aircraft crashed at Baramati in Pune district on January 28. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, has since been appointed deputy chief minister and has taken over the portfolios he held.

After Ajit Pawar’s death, leaders of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) had claimed that merger talks were at an advanced stage between the two factions and that February 12 had been finalised to announce the reunification.

Asked about MNS president Raj Thackeray's remark about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Fadnavis said persons who were not invited to the Sangh's programme to mark its centenary were feeling bad and were resorting to criticism.

Earlier in the day, Thackeray criticised Bhagwat, saying if the Sangh chief thought that protesting for one's language is a "disease" then a majority of the states in the country suffer from it.

Fadnavis said, ''Those who were not invited were feeling bad, so they are resorting to criticism. The RSS event was held to apprise different sections of society about the organisation, which has completed 100 years, and hold a dialogue with them. Those who did not get an invite are upset.'' On the BJP outsmarting the Congress to win the mayor post in Chandrapur with support from Shiv Sena (UBT), the chief minister said he would speak about it after seeking details on the development.