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Journalism of Courage
The game of political one-upmanship between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar continues over the early morning swearing-in of the shortlived Fadnavis-led government in 2019 that allegedly came crashing down because of Pawar’s about-turn.
On Wednesday, Fadnavis said at the India Today conclave, “President’s rule was imposed in Maharashtra on Sharad Pawar’s suggestion. At that time, the NCP and the BJP were in talks for government formation. The talks were underway with Sharad Pawar’s leadership. He had informed us it would not be possible for him to take a U-turn so soon. So, let the state be under President’s rule for some time. In the meantime, Sharad Pawar said he would tour Maharashtra, then come up with a narrative that people want a stable government and therefore the NCP has to join the BJP.”
But at the eleventh hour, according to Fadnavis, Pawar, who had authorised his nephew Ajit Pawar to pursue the process, withdrew. This was the NCP leader’s “double game”, the BJP leader added.
On Thursday, Fadnavis again took aim at Pawar and the NCP and BJP held talks in 2017 too apart from 2019. “Were these talks held out of fear of inviting central agencies action? If not, why is a senior leader like Sharad Pawar making allegations against the Ajit Pawar-led faction, which is part of the government? Every word I uttered on Wednesday regarding Sharad Pawar is true and I stand by it,” he told reporters in Mumbai.
This is the third time this year that Fadnavis has brought up the 2019 incident, following which the BJP’s longtime ally Shiv Sena joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to establish the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and formed the government.
Fadnavis first rekindled the issue in February by telling the TV9 Marathi news channel that Pawar knew about Ajit Pawar‘s defection to the BJP’s side in 2019. The NCP leader dismissed the claim, saying, “I thought Fadnavis is a cultured and decent man, but he is resorting to lies.”
The two leaders had a go at one another again in June after the NCP chief labelled Chief Minister Eknath Shinde a “traitor”. In response, Fadnavis recalled how Pawar broke away from the Congress in 1977 and formed a government. “If he (Shinde) does it, it is backstabbing, but if Pawar does it, it’s diplomacy?” Fadnavis said. Pawar accused Fadnavis of being ignorant and pointed out that the Jan Sangh, a precursor to the BJP, had backed him.
Towards the end of the month, as the buzz grew again about Ajit switching loyalties and joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government, this Pawar referred to his nephew’s move in 2019 and admitted that he had held talks with the BJP back then but added that it was a “googly” delivered to expose Fadnavis and his party. A few days later, Ajit and his loyalists switched over to the ruling side and joined the Congress, ostensibly taking Pawar by surprise and splitting the NCP.
Timing of remarks
While Pawar himself has not commented on Fadnavis’ latest remark, his NCP faction has dismissed the Deputy CM’s claim. These comments come ahead of the Election Commission (EC) hearing into which Pawar — the party chief or his nephew — has the right to the party’s name and symbol. The waters have also been muddied by speculation triggered by Ajit’s absence from the state Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. There has been talk about discontent in the ruling alliance over the allotment of district guardian ministership to NCP ministers but Fadnavis and the BJP have dismissed it.
The long shadow cast by 2019, however, refuses to leave Maharashtra politics, with Fadnavis hinting that the entire truth was not yet out. “In politics what matters is timing. So, at appropriate time I shall reveal the truth,” he said at the event on Wednesday.
