CM says he has steering wheel, Ajit tweets photo in driver’s seat

Hours after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said he is in firm control of the “steering wheel” of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — a coalition government comprising

Hours after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said he is in firm control of the “steering wheel” of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — a coalition government comprising the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, his deputy Ajit Pawar of the NCP sent him wishes for his 60th birthday on Twitter with a picture of the two leaders with Pawar in the driver’s seat.

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At the stroke of midnight on Sunday, Pawar tweeted the picture of him at the wheel of a golf cart and CM Thackeray in the passenger’s seat. Pawar, who was among the first to wish the CM, caused a flutter in the political circles with the mischievous picture. “Best wishes to the Hon. CM of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena Party President & Maha Vikas Aghadi Leader, Shri. Uddhav Thackeray ji. Wish you a healthy & long life!” Pawar tweeted.

Thackeray, in an interview to Rajya Sabha member and Saamana executive editor Sanjay Raut, published on Sunday had said, “The future of my government is not in the hands of the Opposition... It is a strong government and I am at the steering wheel with two other partners. A three-wheeler (rickshaw) is a vehicle of poor people.”

Later in the day, Pawar went to Thackeray’s residence Matoshree in Bandra to wish the CM on his birthday. Both leaders, according to party insiders, chatted for a few minutes.

Reacting on the tweet, Raut said, “I saw the picture, that’s alright. He might have the steering but we provide him with the cars.” He added, “He has a lot of experience with steering wheels. From time to time, he keeps on checking the oil and other things for the Maha Vikas Aghadi car to keep going faster.”

Former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis taunted Thackeray on steering wheel comment and said that rickshaw drivers do not decide the destination. “He said that he has the autorickshaw’s steering in his hand but Uddhav ji forgot to say that where the rickshaw will go is not decided by the driver, but the passengers sitting behind. If the rickshaw does not go to the passenger’s destination then the driver does not get his fare,” Fadnavis said during a party event in Mumbai.

Calling it a display of the silent tussle between the two top leaders in the government, political observers say it could continue.

Political analyst Surendra Jondhale called it “political indecency” on Pawar’s part. “There is some amount of restlessness to show who is more decisive and assertive, as the two leaders have different styles of functioning. It is unfortunate that Pawar chose to put out such a picture. There should be some kind of political decency. One should not take it lightly, as it is impolite and indecent,” he said.

Earlier in July, Thackeray made sure he got back five Sena corporators, who had defected to the NCP in the presence of Pawar, back into his party fold. His deputy had presided over the entry of the Sena corporators into the NCP, which did not go down well with Thackeray, as he made his displeasure known to Pawar.

“There must be some friction due to that [episode] too, but (Ajit) Pawar should not forget that Thackeray has direct access to Sharad Pawar. He (Ajit Pawar) has never hidden his vaulting political ambition, but this is not the opportune moment to bare such thoughts amid the pandemic,” Jondhale added.