NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar is known to be one of the smartest politicians in the country. Even in times of crisis, he does not lose cool, which was evident when the MVA government was formed in Maharashtra. When Ajit Pawar, his nephew, took oath as Deputy CM in alliance with BJP, the senior Pawar very skillfully brought him back to the fore and floated the tri-party alliance to form the government.
However, the recent crisis in the Maharashtra government after the ‘letter bomb’ by Param Bir Singh, has panicked the 80-year-old leader who has more experience in politics than the leader of the opposition, Devendra Fadnavis.
A panicked Sharad Pawar summoned Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state party chief Jayant Patil to New Delhi today to take a call on the controversy surrounding Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
The NCP supremo, who has come to be known also as the supremo of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, is subtly being blamed for Anil Deshmukh’s alleged misdeeds. And, that is big. Nobody usually dares say anything about Sharad Pawar without backing it up solidly. Yet, today, the strongest party within the MVA is facing a PR disaster like no other.
So, Sharad Pawar decided to hold a press conference himself. From what one could understand, Pawar said that the allegations against Deshmukh are “very serious in nature” and that CM Thackeray may initiate an inquiry against him if he so deems fit. He also suggested the name of the former Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro as head of the investigation team, but Ribeiro later backed out in the name of his old age.
Since the arrest of Sachin Vaze, the assistant sub-inspector whose role in the Antilla Bomb scare has come to the forefront — Shiv Sena, the main ruling party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is reportedly batting for the ouster of Deshmukh, albeit through outside channels.
The apparent willingness to throw Deshmukh under the bus is a counter move by the Shiv Sena to keep the limelight away from itself. Vaze seems to be Shiv Sena’s stooge in the Mumbai Police, employed on Uddhav’s payroll. From the arrest of Arnab Goswami to sensitive encounters, Sachin Vaze was the go-to man to deal with such political cases for the Sena. With NIA and ATS tightening the noose around him, the pandora’s box of Shiv Sena’s misdoings can come out in the open. Thus, the best pincer move in the situation was to dub Deshmukh as the culprit who knew everything happening around in the state and specifically with Mumbai Police.
However, Pawar is not ready to sacrifice Deshmukh, and NCP has made a very clear statement that the Home Minister will not resign. Pawar also said that the events of the past two days will have no bearing on the stability of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
On Monday, in a press briefing, Pawar tried to shield his minister and claimed that Deshmukh from 5-15 February was admitted to a hospital in Nagpur due to the Wuhan coronavirus. However, Pawar’s attempt to shield his minister failed when he was caught off guard by the journalists.
Read More: Sharad Pawar left with no answers as he gets caught lying while trying to save Anil Deshmukh
This, despite it being alleged that the dreaded ‘hafta vasooli’ culture has made a grand comeback in Maharashtra, and is flourishing under the rule of the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena combine. And while Sharad Pawar may try and put up the innocent act, the letter of Param Bir Singh mentions clearly that senior ministers of the MVA cabinet were apprised about the dealings between Anil Deshmukh and API Sachin Vaze.
The disagreements between Shiv Sena and NCP over the resignation of Deshmukh might lead to the fall of the MVA government and this is the primary reason behind the panic of the 80-year-old leader Pawar, who, despite his age, is trying to protect the empire that he built in last six decades.
