The Sharad Pawar dilemma…
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar quipped before he left for the airport to attend a joint opposition meeting at Bengaluru, ” Opposition unity is possible but not an easy task”. This one statement had a lot of meaning for those who understand and read Pawar. By the time Pawar was in the plane, Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge immediately in his speech said, “Congress is not interested in the PM post”. Kharge, Congress and all the other leaders who were present in Bengaluru for the opposition meet had understood the underlying meaning as to what Sharad Pawar had said. Sharad Pawar loves demanding attention. He did it and how…
Coming back to our own turf, everyone is a bit rattled as to why just before the monsoon legislative session began did Ajit Pawar and all NCP Ministers go to YB Chavan centre and meet Sharad Pawar after the defection? It is learnt many including Praful Patel and Bhujbal had tears in their eyes as they sought the veteran’s blessings by touching his feet, but Pawar was in no mood, both the days, to even utter a word, forget blessing them. What I can really make out of this is, Ajit won’t go just like this to seek blessings. The YB Chavan visits twice in a week and one to Silver Oak (to meet Mrs Pawar) is all a part of his strategy and for the OPTICS, is all that I can say. Else, Ajit and bending and getting scared/repenting of any decision he takes? Not possible, not in his DNA and his nature too. He does not think twice after he has made a decision. . Ajit Pawar has suddenly upped his game is what I can say. There is a clear cut message sent here by the Nephew to the public. The message is, we don’t want the NCP to break, we will continue to respect him but it is Pawar saheb who is adamant and not burying the hatchet.
Now tell me why shouldn’t Ajit do so? Sharad Pawar is blinded for his daughter’s love and here Supriya is blinded by the advice of Jayant Patil. Sharad Pawar has understood that it is about time, before he retires, that NCP joins the NDA to secure the future of Supriya at the Centre and Ajit at the state, but the daughter is in no mood to do so. She has taken over the reins to do a turnaround of the party. Our best wishes with her, but I don’t think the 83 year old will be interested in choosing candidates for Gram Panchayat and interviewing them, a basic process that needs to be followed for parties to start rebuilding. Deep down Sharad Pawar’s huge political experience and instinct know what is going to be the outcome and hence he made the statement before he left for Bengaluru. He wants to do the Ajit way, but his hands are folded.
Why I say so, because somewhere in the last week it was Jeetendra Awhad himself who had appealed to Ajit Pawar that he and Jayant Patil (he would convince JP) are ready to leave the party if everyone returns to the fold. Everyone in the NCP knows who are the disliked ones. On the other hand, many are saying it is in fact Sharad Pawar who has his invisible hand behind the Ajit Pawar drama, my two bits to them, don’t fall for the propaganda. This time THERE IS NO SUCH INVISIBLE hand behind Ajit and Shinde-Fadnavis handshake. Sharad Pawar had got a hint and hence before the Ajit Pawar coup, if you remember Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis were engaged in a war of words every single day.
Now an important observation. What was the need for the BJP to get Ajit Pawar and his people on board? I am told, this arrangement is for the upcoming Loksabha elections and this time the high command is gunning for all 48 seats from Maharashtra. We all know that the high command is equally responsible for anything that happens in Maharashtra from the BJP side. The decision comes from the top but only after ‘consultation’ from Maharashtra. Now if Ajit is taken on board to strengthen the Loksabha base for the BJP, that means somewhere the Shinde-Fadnavis government has not been able to gather the high command confidence, right,? And till now it is all Eknath Shinde show since he has become the CM. It is on purpose Fadnavis was keeping quiet and letting things happen as per what Shinde wants. But guess somewhere high command knows, Shinde needs more armoury and hence along with Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar has been roped in.
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
