NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MPs to Meet PM Narendra Modi on Monday Over Maharashtra Issues
All eight Lok Sabha Members of Parliament from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 11:00 am on Monday at his Parliament office. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Saturday, party national working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule announced the meeting, stating that the delegation intends to highlight critical development concerns across Maharashtra, including water scarcity, farmer suicides, and challenges arising from rapid urbanisation.
Addressing the media in Mumbai, Sule sought to dispel speculation regarding why opposition lawmakers were seeking an audience with the prime minister. She explained that with parliamentary proceedings consistently disrupted by adjournments, the NCP (SP) views a direct meeting as an opportunity to present Maharashtra’s key issues directly to Modi, noting that as elected representatives, it is their right to raise regional matters with the prime minister.
In addition to civic and agricultural concerns, the MPs intend to raise administrative hurdles regarding the ₹5-crore annual development fund allotted to each parliamentarian. Sule alleged that opposition lawmakers are failing to receive the required cooperation from the Maharashtra state government to effectively execute constituency development projects using these funds.
The party is also demanding that the BJP-led NDA government either withdraw the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Bill in its present form or refer it to a joint parliamentary committee for comprehensive discussions. Sule emphasized that while foreign funding tied to drug trafficking or terrorism requires strict action, legitimate contributions meant for educating poor children or purchasing polio vaccines should not be treated with suspicion.
Regarding the proposed Delimitation Bill, Sule described taking a stance as premature before the bill's formal introduction in Parliament. She mentioned that leaders of the INDIA bloc, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Trinamool Congress, are holding daily morning discussions under Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to determine their collective course of action once the bill is introduced.
Sule further demanded a transparent Special Investigation Team probe into the recent protests at Jantar Mantar, specifically citing the alleged use of pellet guns and tear gas against demonstrators. She also called for an investigation into the NEET examination controversy, and acknowledged recent statements by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat describing the new generation as honest.
