NCP split: Supreme Court to hear plea on October 13

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NCP Split: The Supreme Court of India on Monday posted for hearing on the October 13 plea of Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seeking directions to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to act against rebel MLAs led by Ajit Pawar.

On Sunday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Supriya Sule singled out her estranged senior colleague Praful Patel as she dismissed the "childish and laughable" allegations by the Ajit Pawar camp against NCP founder and her father Sharad Pawar, according to the PTI.

NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad had claimed the Ajit Pawar camp, through its lawyer, had alleged that Sharad Pawar ran the party in an undemocratic manner and treated it as his fiefdom when the warring factions of the party met the Election Commission in Delhi on Friday, reported the PTI.

"Pawar saheb did act in an undemocratic manner when it came to Praful Patel. When he was to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, many NCP MLAs opposed his name. But Pawar saheb put his foot down and said Praful Patel will be our candidate for Rajya Sabha," Supriya Sule said sarcastically while interacting with reporters in Pandharpur.

Considered an old confidant of Sharad Pawar, Patel sided with Ajit Pawar when he and eight MLAs of NCP joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in July this year. Subsequently, Praful Patel was sacked as the NCP working president.

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Sule also said that it was Sharad Pawar who "in an undemocratic manner" decided to make Praful Patel a Union minister despite losing Lok Sabha polls in 2004 and overruling the opposition from the NCP leaders who are currently with Praful Patel, now a member of the Ajit Pawar faction.

"When it came to giving Praful Patel power and position, Sharad Pawar did act in an undemocratic manner. These allegations are childish and laughable," Sule added sarcastically.

After joining the Ajit Pawar faction, Praful Patel alleged that the Nationalist Congress Party was not run as per the party constitution or election commission rules and that its entire organisational structure was flawed.

However, after the acrimony, Praful Patel met Sharad Pawar when he was attending a meeting of NCP loyalists in Mumbai and recently at the new Parliament building in Delhi. (with inputs from agencies)