After Uddhav meet, Pawar calls for MVA unity despite disagreements

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi, of which his party is a constituent along with the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the Congress, should work together unitedly even though the allies may have differences of opinion.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Pawar said the issue of unity among the allies was discussed during his meeting with Shiv Sena-UBT leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.

Pawar said some programmes have been decided for the unity of the alliance.

"Everyone should participate in these programmes. This is the policy we agreed on yesterday (Tuesday)," he said.

The meeting between Pawar and Thackeray took place days after the NCP chief favoured a probe by a Supreme Court panel into allegations against the Adani Group over a joint parliamentary committee. 

The Congress and the Shiv Sena-UBT have been insisting on a JPC probe.

Pawar had earlier said although the NCP did not agree with the demand of anti-Bharatiya Janata Party parties for a JPC probe, it would not go against their stand for the sake of Opposition unity.

Pawar had said if a JPC is formed, looking at the BJP's numerical strength in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the ruling party will have 14-15 members in the panel, while the Opposition will have five to six MPs.

"The panel will also be headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-BJP. So who will control the panel and what will be its influence on the report?" Pawar had asked, seeking to drive home the point that a parliamentary probe committee will have a limited scope.

Instead, a Supreme Court-appointed panel should probe the issue, the NCP leader had added.

In an interview with a Marathi news channel, which was telecast on Tuesday, Pawar said Thackeray had quit as chief minister (in June 2022) without consulting the MVA constituents.