Journalism of Courage
Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil’s remark about Eknath Shinde’s chief ministership has left the party red-faced at a time when it has sought to send out larger signals about its decision to install the Shiv Sena rebel as the CM while itself settling for the Deputy CM’s post.
“It was with a heavy heart that we decided to make Eknath Shinde Chief Minister. It was sad…We had to take the decision to convey a message outside. The sacrifice of Devendra Fadnavis, who was the CM claimant, was laudable,” Patil said at the state BJP’s conclave in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
The party rushed to issue clarifications and sought to underplay Patil’s remark by withdrawing his five-minute speech from social media. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also went on to clarify that “the BJP was determined to reward Shinde, who has kept the Bal Thackeray Hindutva legacy alive and dared to walk out of government along with 50 members,” adding that the “BJP was in politics not for power but to use power as a medium to serve the people.” Party spokespersons were put to task to explain how Patil’s comment was being misinterpreted.
The announcement of Shinde as Chief Minister had come as a surprise because the BJP, with 106 MLAs, is the single-largest party in the House of 287 and the natural claimant to the post of the Chief Minister.
The announcement was meant to be a strong rebuff to the Uddhav Thackeray-led group’s contention that the BJP had pulled down “a Sena CM”. It also sent a message about the BJP’s largeheartedness in accommodating allies — the benefits of which the party hoped to reap in the upcoming BMC polls.
However, Patil’s off-the-cuff remark may have served to reveal the real emotions within the party on the issue, besides unpeeling the BJP’s carefully-cultivated show of magnanimity in handing the CM chair to Shinde.
The leadership’s decision to get a reluctant Fadnavis to be the deputy CM had come as a shock to party workers loyal to the BJP leader.
They did not want Fadnavis, seen as the BJP’s most powerful leader in the state, to be the second-in-command. Also, considering that in 2019, the BJP had put its foot down and refused to accept Uddhav Thackeray’s demand of equal power share, including rotation of the CM’s chair every 2.5 years, they saw no reason why Fadnavis would have to settle for the second best job.
Patil’s statements in the past have kicked a row — especially when he asked NCP MP Supriya Sule “to go back home and cook instead of doing politics” and when he described NCP president Sharad Pawar as a “leader of a small party” — but this is probably the first time his remarks have caused discomfiture within the party.
A senior BJP functionary said, “Patil was addressing the BJP conclave. It was the first conclave after the formation of the BJP-Shinde alliance. So, he was giving expression to party workers’ sentiments. He was also explaining the sacrifice of Fadnavis who readily gave up the CM post to Shinde.” He, however, added that “Patil should have been careful in the choice of his words.”
A BJP insider pointed out: “Our chief concern is that the Shinde-Fadnavis alliance should function smoothly. We cannot afford to unsettle partners with careless remarks or action.”
The BJP hopes to win at least 42 Lok Sabha seats out of 48 in 2024 and 200-plus seats out of 288 Assembly seats. The party realises it cannot make this jump – from the present 106 seats – without the Shinde faction.
A senior leader said, “The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA, a coalition of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena), if allowed, would have been detrimental for the BJP. It would have politically isolated us in state politics.”
