Pawar has never bowled me a googly, says Shinde

Shinde was felicitated with an award named after one of the great generals of the Maratha empire, General Mahadji Shinde, in the presence of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, a descendant of the 18th century genera

Mumbai: The camaraderie between NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde was hard to miss in New Delhi on Tuesday, as Shinde was felicitated by Pawar at a function. Shinde – who split the Shiv Sena and pulled down Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of which Pawar was the architect – and the NCP-SP chief heaped praise on each other.

Pawar has never bowled me a googly, says Shinde

Shinde was felicitated with an award named after one of the great generals of the Maratha empire, General Mahadji Shinde, in the presence of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, a descendant of the 18th century general.

Speaking at the event, Eknath Shinde, chief of the Shiv Sena, said Pawar had never bowled him a googly and hoped he wouldn’t in the future.

The bonhomie comes at a time when the BJP and Shinde are locked in a power struggle in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance government in Maharashtra. Moreover, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been regularly entertaining leaders from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), making Shinde very uncomfortable. Shinde is also unhappy as Fadnavis has started tightening his grip on the Mahayuti government, leaving little scope for him to assert his authority.

In reply to his felicitation, Shinde said, “Pawar Saheb is the son-in-law of a cricketer, Sadashiv Shinde, who was a spin bowler. Batsmen couldn’t face his googlies (deceptive spin bowling) and would invariably get out. Pawar Saheb, who is sitting next to me, is known for his political googlies. Many don’t understand Pawar Saheb’s political googlies. I have close ties with Pawar Saheb and he has never bowled me a googly, and I firmly hope he never bowls one (to me) in future.’’ Shinde also said Pawar was the epitome of diplomacy, praising him as a shining example of how to maintain good relations with one’s political opponents.

Pawar too didn’t hold back in praising Shinde. “In recent years, Eknath Shinde came to be known as a leader who has good knowledge of urban issues. Shinde has given direction to the Thane Municipal Corporation and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, and the state government. He did not harbour any animosity towards the opposition and solved the problems of the people.”

The NCP-SP chief pointed out Shinde comes from Satara district in Western Maharashtra, just like two other chief ministers – Y B Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan. He added that he too originally came from Nandval, a village in Satara.

Scindia recalled the contribution of Mahadji Shinde and of the Marathas in the fight against the colonial British. He believed an enemy’s enemy is your friend, and planned to corner the British with Portuguese, Algerian and French generals, he said.

The new-found warmth between Pawar and Shinde is likely to create a flutter in both the ruling Mahayuti alliance as well as the opposition MVA camp. During Shinde’s tenure as chief minister in the previous Mahayuti government, especially during the Maratha quota agitation, it was often said that Pawar refrained from targeting Shinde. The two of them are said to have maintained cordial relations even as both sides were locked in a bitter political tussle. Pawar’s praise of Shinde is likely to irk his MVA ally, Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Sena (UBT).