I am loyal to Sharad Pawar: NCP MP

NEW DELHI: A day after his meeting with Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil triggered speculations about him joining the ruling party, NCP MP Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday asserted his “unflinching” loyalty to party chief Sharad Pawar.nnTatkare called on Patil, also Revenue Minister in the state government, at his official residence here on Tuesday, the day three MLAs of the NCP resigned from the Assembly.nnThe trio and an MLA from the Congress joined the BJP on Wednesday morning.nn

माझ्या #रायगड लोकसभा मतदारसंघातील महत्त्वाच्या विकासकामांसंदर्भात काल महसूल मंत्री चंद्रकांतदादा पाटील यांना भेटलो. मात्र याबाबत वेगवेगळ्या बातम्या प्रसारित होत आहेत. मी केवळ त्यांनाच नाही तर चार मंत्र्यांना भेटलो, त्यात शिवसेनेचे मंत्रीही होते, तसेच चार सचिवांनाही भेटलो. pic.twitter.com/hI0ElJDfl6

— Sunil Tatkare (@SunilTatkare) July 31, 2019

nnIn a video message, Tatkare said he met Patil and some other ministers over public works to be carried out in his Raigad constituency.nnHe said it was “wrong” to malign his image by spreading such rumours of crossover.nnDuring his meeting with Patil, Tatkare discussed about construction of roads in his constituency on a hybrid annuity mode.nnThe NCP leader said he conveyed the demands of Kunbis from Dapoli in his constituency for a land for community purpose to Patil.nn”I met Chandrakant Patil, Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal and also Minister of State Dada Bhuse (of Shiv Sena). I met four principal secretaries and secretaries too. I met these people in my bid to fulfil promises made to the people during Lok Sabha polls,” Tatkare said.nn”My unflinching loyalty is with Pawar Saheb only. It is wrong to malign my image by spreading rumours,” he added.nnHe said the NCP will rise again like a proverbial phoenix bird under Pawar’s watch in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, due in September-October this year.nnIn the latest body blow to the NCP, three MLAs of the party–Shivendrasinh Bhosale (Satara), Sandeep Naik (Airoli) and Vaibhav Pichad (Akole)–joined the BJP along with Congress lawmaker Kalidas Kolambkar.nnSource: Press Trust of India