Reacting to the controversy, Ajit Pawar — whose party is part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition with the BJP and Shiv Sena — said he was unaware of the meeting. “I am not the husband who takes each minute update from his wife,” he added.Sunetra quickly clarified on social media that her Delhi meeting was non-political. She said she attended to understand how other people and their NGOs work for women’s empowerment. “I just spoke two words there, and no political meaning should be gleaned from this meeting. My intention was only to understand the women’s problem and get the solution,” she said.Meanwhile, Opposition parties questioned the NCP’s commitment to secularism and the Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar progressive ideology following Sunetra’s attendance at the RSS meeting.NCP(SP) MLA and leader Rohit Pawar suggested there may have been pressure on the Pawars to attend. “On one hand, Ajit Pawar is taking the name of Shiv-Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar. On the other hand, he or his representative attending the RSS meeting shows hypocrisy,” he said. “Ajit Pawar has joined hands with the BJP for his reasons. He has not accepted the BJP-RSS ideology, but his party must be under pressure to attend meetings or upload photos to send out a message that he is accepting RSS ideology,” he added.Rohit added that Sunetra should have raised questions during the meeting about why the RSS and the BJP opposed OBC reservation through their Kamandal Yatra against the Mandal Commission.
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