Nationalist Congress Party (SP) working president and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule on Tuesday, 7 July firmly brushed aside speculation that her party was moving closer to the ruling MahaYuti alliance in Maharashtra, calling the rumours baseless while simultaneously launching a multi-front attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged corruption at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, a disputed farmer loan waiver, and a landslide on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Alliance Rumours Dismissed

The speculation centred on reported talks between BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, which some observers had read as a sign of political realignment. Sule was categorical in her response, saying she could not confirm whether that specific meeting took place, but stressed that she and Patil serve on the same parliamentary committee and had met as many as 21 times in the past month alone. Many BJP leaders, including the party president, are also part of the same committee, she noted, framing such interactions as routine administrative work rather than political overture.

This is not the first time NCP (SP) has had to swat away coalition chatter. Sule pointed out that political observers have been speculating about her party's alignment for the last 12 years, suggesting a familiar pattern of rumour cycles that have not translated into action.

Sule's Offensive: Ram Temple Corruption Charge

Pivoting sharply from defence to attack, Sule accused the BJP of corruption linked to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, citing videos that have recently circulated online purportedly showing money and silver being removed from the temple premises. Notably, she said these clips were broadcast on the BJP's own channels, lending them a degree of credibility she argued was hard to dismiss.

'The entire Indian public contributed to building this temple through immense struggle and hard work,' she said, adding that the temple belongs to Maryada Purushottam Ram. She questioned what remained to be said if corruption had penetrated even this institution. Turning the BJP's own anti-corruption rhetoric against it, Sule said the party that routinely brands the Congress and NCP as corrupt now owed the public an answer for 'not even sparing Lord Ram.'

Farmer Loan Waiver Called 'Deceptive'

Sule also trained her fire on the MahaYuti government's agrarian relief measures, describing the crop loan waiver as 'completely deceptive.' She accused the government of 'breaking the backbone of hardworking farmers who remain loyal to their soil,' framing the waiver as a political instrument rather than genuine relief. Maharashtra's farm sector has faced recurring distress, and critics argue that announced waivers have often been diluted in implementation.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway Landslide: Accountability Demanded

The NCP (SP) MP also took aim at a landslide on the 'Missing Link' section of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that shut down traffic for 18 hours following the onset of monsoon rains. Sule said she had already called on the Chief Minister to order a thorough investigation, and demanded that contractors be held accountable. She argued that the government had made considerable fanfare around the Missing Link project, making its failure in the very first rains all the more damaging.

What Comes Next

With Maharashtra politics entering a period of heightened manoeuvring ahead of future electoral cycles, Sule's remarks signal that NCP (SP) intends to remain a combative opposition voice rather than a coalition partner-in-waiting. She said that if the current governance trajectory continues, her party and its allies would have 'no choice but to fight hard and seize power.' The alliance rumours, she suggested, say more about the ruling coalition's anxiety than about her party's intentions.