PUNE, June 18 -- NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday appeared to dismiss mounting speculation of a possible patch-up with the Nationalist Congress Party led by his nephew Ajit Pawar, warning against aligning with those indulging in "opportunistic politics" by joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speaking at a gathering of NCP (SP) workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the octogenarian leader issued a clear but indirect rebuke to his own partymen as well as those from the Ajit Pawar led party. Without naming Ajit Pawar, Pawar said those who abandoned the party to share power with the BJP had moved away from the ideological foundation laid by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jyotirao Phule, and B.R. Ambedkar. "There's talk of taking everyone along. But who is everyone?" Pawar asked. "I am willing to work with those who uphold the values of Gandhi, Nehru, Phule, and Ambedkar. But aligning with the BJP for the sake of power is not in line with that ideology," he said. He was speaking minutes after one of the party workers, while speaking in the same gathering, said it was time to take everyone along. The remarks come at a time when rumours of a reunion between the two parties have gained momentum, following several public appearances and meetings between the uncle and the nephew duo. However, Sharad Pawar's pointed comments made it clear that a reconciliation was not on the cards - at least, for now, when local body polls in 29 municipal corporations and several Councils are likely just a few months away. Ajit Pawar offered a non-committal response. "Everyone has the right to express their opinion." Last week, speaking at the party's 26th foundation day event in Pune, Ajit Pawar had avoided giving a definitive answer on the merger issue, saying such decisions were taken by top leaders, not by party workers or junior leaders. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare was more categorical at that time. "There is no such proposal," he had said when asked about the possibility of the two factions coming together again. In Tuesday's programme, Pawar also urged his supporters not to be disheartened by leaders who had defected from the party. "People have come and gone many times in my political journey. The focus now must be on preparing for upcoming local body elections," he said, reaffirming his faith in the political judgement of the electorate. "Democracy survives in this country not because of leaders, but because of the wisdom of ordinary citizens." The NCP, founded by Pawar in 1999, split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar and a group of MLAs joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister, and eight of his loyalists were inducted as ministers....