In a development that reflected the fast changing political equations in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday heaped praise on Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray for the efforts taken by him to re-build his party after the death of his father and party chief Bal Thackeray.
Participating in a meet-the-media programme here, Pawar said: “There were concerns within the State political circles as to the fate of the Shiv Sena after death of his father. Uddhav Thackeray has addressed these concerns and rebuilt the party in his own way. It is a fact that the Sena contributed to the success of the BJP in the lok Sabha polls”.
While Pawar’s statement is no clear pointer to a possibility of a post-poll tie-up between NCP and Shiv Sena, it is crystal clear that the he has softened his stand towards Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
Given that he had on several occasions in the past severely criticised Uddhav, Pawar’s turn-around clearly reflects his changing stance toward the Sena. If anything, with just three days to go for the October 15 Assembly polls, Pawar has sent out clear-cut message to Uddhav that he is not averse to aligning with the Sena in the post-poll scenario, if the latter so desired.
Debunking BJP’s “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajancha Ashirward, Chalo Modi Ke Saath” slogan to seek votes, the NCP chief said: “I do not approve of the manner in which the BJP invoking Shivaji’s name to seek votes in the polls. What the BJP does not talk about is the fact that the its own government has made incorrect references to Shivaji in its school books in Gujarat”.
Replying to a question, Pawar charged that unlike his party which had to make efforts at the last to look for candidates in 150 constituencies across the State following the split in its alliance with its erstwhile ruling ally, the Congress and BJP had made preparations to contest all the 288 seats in the Assembly polls on their respective strengths.
“We had begun the seat-sharing negotiations with the Congress, by demanding a larger share of seats. Thinking that we would in the end get at least 125 to 130 seats, we had demanded 144 seats out of 288 seats from the Congress. Since we had not prepared ourselves to the eventuality of contesting all the 288 seats, we had to look for candidates in at least 150 constituencies, following the split in our alliance with the Congress. On the contrary, the Congress and BJP had made preparations to contest all the 288 seats on their respective strengths,” Pawar said.
Slamming the BJP for its continued efforts to carve out a separate Vidarbha state from Maharashtra, Pawar said his party was opposed to any effort divide Maharashtra. “The BJP may have removed the mention of Vidarbha from its poll manifesto, but the party state president (Devendra Fadnavis) and its senior leader from Maharashtra (Nitin Gadkari) have all along rooted for a separate Vidarbha state and the need for creating smaller states. Given their strong views on the issue, it is clear where the BJP stands on the issue of division of Maharashtra. We as the NCP have taken constituent stand that Maharashtra should remain as one entity,” the NCP chief said.
On the “rape remark” controversy involving the NCP’s former Home minister R R Patil, Pawar said: “I asked him (Patil) if he had make such a questionable remark, he gave his explanation and apologised for his remark. As far as I am concerned, Patil’s statement is both objectionable and condemnable. I am not all supporting his statement”.
Patil, it may be recalled, had stirred a hornet’s nest by saying that an MNS candidate contesting the polls, who had been jailed on charges of rape, could have waited till the elections to get over before committing the crime.
“MNS has fielded a candidate. Today MNS activists met me and said they would back me in the polls. When I asked them why, they said their candidate is in jail. I asked as to what good act he has doneIJ They told me that a rape case has been registered against him. If he wanted to contest and become an MlA, he should have committed rape after the elections,” Patil had said last week, while addressing an election rally in his home district of Sangli in western Maharashtra.