Ajit Pawar puts Maharashtra BJP in a tight spot, keeps rivals guessing
Pawar's statements are being keenly watched by allies BJP and Shiv Sena. NCP (SP) leaders suspect this is all part of a strategy to change his image
A series of recent statements from deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has taken everyone by surprise. He first shocked everybody by admitting that he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra opposite Supriya Sule from Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections. Then he said he has told the BJP not to target his uncle and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar. He felt that prime minister Narendra Modi calling Pawar ‘Bhatakti Atma’ (restless soul) during the Lok Sabha campaign did not go down well with the people since Pawar is a respected figure in Maharashtra. Last week, he said he was not keen to contest from Baramati assembly constituency.
His statements are being keenly watched not just by the rival NCP faction leaders but also allies BJP and Shiv Sena. NCP (SP) leaders suspect this is all part of a strategy to change his image. Criticising Pawar and projecting himself as the real NCP had proved counterproductive for him in the Lok Sabha elections so Ajit has now been advised by his strategists to change his tune.
There is unease, however, in BJP over Ajit’s stance on issues related to minorities. He has even put the party in a tough spot by deciding to field Nawab Malik though the BJP had objected when Malik had attended legislature and sat on treasury benches. In Mumbai, Ajit’s yatra will go through Malik’s constituency. Leaders of Shiv Sena are already unhappy over NCP advertisements during Ajit’s yatra dropping CM’s name in Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojna.
Damania is back
Anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania has once again locked horns with NCP leaders. Damania, who played a significant role in exposing irrigation scam and some other corruption cases, has raised questions over the expenditure on Ajit Pawar’s Jan Sanman Yatra. Reacting to her, Suraj Chavan, chief of NCP’s youth wing, remarked that she is a suparibaaz (a hired gun) and asked about her source of income. An irked Damania has now vowed to “expose” his boss. On Thursday, she declared her income and offered to put her income tax returns in public domain.
In fact, she has also demanded that all leading politicians should tell the people who is spending money on their campaign programmes. She has pointed out that most politicians have announced modest annual income and wondered how they could afford to spend crores on their pre-poll campaign. Valid question. Will there be any answers?
Another IAS trainee in the dock
After Puja Khedkar, there is controversy over another IAS trainee who was posted in Gadchiroli district. A probe was conducted following allegations of a scam in distribution of dairy animals to poor households. The probe report has apparently pointed out several irregularities including diverting funds meant to be used for the scheme where the trainee was posted. Senior bureaucrats have expressed shock over the trend. “In my experience, newly appointed officers avoid getting in any controversies in their first few years of service and concentrate on learning. If the fresh IAS recruits are resorting to such things, the trend is disturbing,” remarked an additional chief secretary.
MLA’s ‘fencing’ logic
Shiv Sena’s Buldhana MLA Sanjay Gaikwad’s video while cutting a cake with a sword on his son’s birthday has gone viral. Apart from criticism by the Opposition, there was also a demand for a case to be filed against him under the Arms Act. In his defence, Gaikwad said he did not threaten anyone with the sword and so it is not an offence. He also pointed that swords are displayed by officers leading police parades. He did not stop there and applied his logic to even the Olympics. “If this is the case, they will have to discontinue fencing in the Olympics,” he argued. BJP’s Pravin Darekar who normally reacts to the pearls of wisdom offered by his allies, did not know what to say when he was asked about this. “I don’t have words to speak on this,” he reacted.
Ashok Chavan’s political heir
A function organised at Bhokar in Nanded on Saturday turned into an event to launch former chief minister Ashok Chavan’s daughter Shrijaya as his political heir. While addressing the gathering and seeking the blessings of the people, Shrijaya surprised everybody by speaking in the Banjara dialect. The Banjara community has a significant presence in the region. Shrijaya is likely to contest assembly elections from Bhokar constituency, which was represented by her father earlier, on a BJP ticket. For the past couple of years, she was working in the background on her father’s election campaigns. With Chavan shifting to Rajya Sabha after he crossed over to BJP from Congress, the constituency is vacant.