Sena (UBT)’s first among equals stance irks MVA

Opposition leader Ajit Pawar was also reportedly miffed about Thackeray being portrayed as the MVA chief. Party insiders said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar himself informed Thackeray about this on April 11 when the latter visited Pawar at his residence

Mumbai: Even as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar embarks on his mission to unite the opposition at a national level, the cracks in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the three-party opposition alliance in the state, seem to be deepening, with the MVA constituents trading accusations openly.

Mumbai, May 02 (ANI): Congress, NCP and Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party's Maha Vikas Aaghadi leaders Udhhav Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and others organized 'Vajramuth Sabha' at BKC in Mumbai on Monday. (ANI Photo) (Sandip Mahankal)

The first sparks of tension reportedly flew during the MVA ‘Vajramuth’ (Iron Fist) rally on April 2 in which Uddhav Thackeray was projected as the bossman of the alliance. From a special chair to a separate podium for his speech and a grand entry on to the dais, Thackeray had it all, which many NCP and Congress leaders thought was “unfair and impractical”, given the current strength of Thackeray’s party. The leaders have reportedly conveyed this to senior Sena (UBT) leaders.

Opposition leader Ajit Pawar was also reportedly miffed about Thackeray being portrayed as the MVA chief. Party insiders said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar himself informed Thackeray about this on April 11 when the latter visited Pawar at his residence. Significantly, the MVA parties recently decided not to hold the Vajramooth rallies for some time, the ostensible reason being the increasingly hot weather.

Another flashpoint occurred during the BKC Vajramooth rally on May 1. “For one, Thackeray deliberately comes late for the rallies,” pointed out a senior NCP leader. “During the BKC rally, he chose to sit in a vanity van parked beside the stage when senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan was addressing the gathering. This is not appropriate, as Chavan is also a former Maharashtra CM.”

The NCP leader said that Thackeray was accepted as chief minister in 2019 when his party had 55 MLAs, but the situation had changed. “He needs to be practical but is indulging in optics despite now being the smallest partner in the alliance,” he remarked. “The party with the maximum strength should lead the government if we win the assembly elections.”

The most recent war of words was flagged off by Sharad Pawar’s autobiography, which was released on May 2. In it, Pawar criticised Thackeray’s style of working during his chief ministership, and said that it was difficult to swallow the fact that Thackeray went to Mantralaya just twice during his two-and-a-half-year stint. Pawar also said that the decision to resign from the CM’s post after the split in the Shiv Sena was taken unilaterally by Thackeray.

While an upset Thackeray retaliated in a public rally at Mahad, saying that he did not need anyone to tell him what kind of CM he was and that people knew better because of his work during Covid, the Sena (UBT)’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ too has hit back. On May 8, a controversial editorial commented on Pawar’s volte-face on his resignation as NCP chief. The editorial also pointed out the limitations of the NCP, saying its strength was limited to Maharashtra. This was the paper’s second retaliation in three days.

But by far the most indirect but stinging criticism was that Pawar had kept the NCP a one-man show. “Sharad Pawar is no doubt a big national leader, and his word is valuable in national politics. But he has failed to groom a successor who can take the party forward, and that’s why everyone in the party was shocked after his announcement about stepping down,” stated the editorial. When questioned about this in Solapur on Monday, Pawar said it would be improper to respond without reading the editorial. “If they are saying I failed to groom a successor, it is their opinion,” he said. “But I am confident they will still be supportive of MVA unity.”

The editorial also stated that “some NCP leaders were ready with bag and baggage to go to a lodging-and-board facility but Pawar’s resignation changed the equation”. It also warned that the leaders could still switch loyalties. Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, while reacting to this observation, was sardonic. “If only they had kept such a close watch on their own MLAs,” he said, “they could have saved their party from being split and the MVA government would still have been in power.”

Bhujbal also lambasted Sanjay Raut, executive editor of Saamna. “Uddhav Thackeray has already explained his stand on Sharad Pawar’s remarks in his autobiography and has clarified that he does not want to disrupt the MVA’s unity,” he said. “There was no reason for Raut to write all this about the NCP. What’s wrong with him? Does he want to create differences in the MVA and want the NCP to pull out of the coalition?”