In NDA corner, Ajit Pawar reaches out to Muslims: ‘Committed to minorities’

A few weeks ago, the Ajit Pawar faction inducted ex-Congress MLA Baba Siddiqi into the party, and he is now being projected as its Muslim face.

Last week, Ajit and Sunetra — who may be his NCP faction’s candidate from the Baramati seat, against Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule — addressed a rally of Muslims in the constituency. Sunetra, who has been doing a round of the dargahs in Baramati, paid a visit on Monday to the Pir Kamar Ali Durvesh dargah in Khed Shivapur. On Tuesday, along with another dargah, she visited a church, a gurdwara, and temples in Baramati town.

NDA partners BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Shinde Shiv Sena are yet to finalise a seat-sharing deal. So far, the Ajit Pawar NCP looks set to get Baramati, Shirur, Satara and Raigad seats, all of which the united NCP had won in 2019. Around 10% of the population is Muslim across these four seats, while in the state, their presence is closer to 12%.

At last week’s rally held for the community in Baramati, Ajit and Sunetra talked about their efforts to develop infrastructure such as Shaadikhana, a community hall for Muslims, and an Urdu school for Muslims in Baramati town. They also promised to fulfill a demand for additional land for a Muslim burial ground in Baramati.

“You have stood by me till now, and have voted for the NCP’s clock symbol. I request you to continue this support. The NCP is committed to upholding social justice for minorities. I have always followed the principle that there should be no injustice on the basis of caste or religion. We continue to follow this ideology of secularism and equality, and it’s not going to change. We won’t spare anyone who tries to disturb the peace,” Ajit said.

He also promised sufficient budgetary provisions for the progress of the Muslim community if an NDA government returns to power, adding, “You won’t have to regret the faith you have put in me and my candidate in Baramati, unlike those people and parties who have sought your vote in the past, but did nothing for the community.” The Baramati seat was for a long time represented by Sharad Pawar, followed by Sule.

There was no reason for anyone to disrespect the caste or religion of others, Ajit said, adding that everyone should live cordially. “This is the ideology of Maratha king Shahu Maharaj, reformer Jyotiba Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, too, gave equal opportunity to all in his Maratha kingdom. That Muslims fought for him is part of history, and we should not forget it.”

In underlining his party’s “secular” outlook, Ajit was following in the footsteps of Sharad Pawar, an old-school politician, who always kept the NCP that he formed in 1999 away from Hindutva politics. Even when over the years he was seen as being open to the possibility of aligning with the BJP, his commitment to this never came under question.

During the ongoing Ramzan month, Sharad Pawar, realising the high stakes of the Baramati contest, the first since the NCP split, has been a frequent presence at iftar parties.