India, July 11 -- Supriya Sule, president of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), on Friday sought to put an end to speculation over the meeting between party chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, describing the controversy as a "storm in a tea cup" and insisting the interaction was merely a call.

Speaking to reporters, Sule said, "It was just a short meeting. Nothing more than that."

The meeting between Sharad Pawar and Shinde at the Maharashtra Assembly earlier this week had triggered intense political speculation, with allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), particularly Shiv Sena (UBT), questioning the optics of the interaction.

Sule also dismissed reports that a section of the NCP (SP)...