In an indirect criticism of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav) said here on Monday that Sharad Pawar’s return as the NCP chief might have stopped some functionaries temporarily from his party switching over to the ruling BJP, but their plans remained intact.
Alluding to the NCP chief’s indirect comment over the speculation that Ajit Pawar might move over to the BJP, the Shiv Sena’s official mouth-piece “Saamana” stated in his editorial: “(Sharad) Pawar has taken stock of who is doing what. That’s why he said `we cannot stop those who wish to quit’. Pawar’s return as the NCP chief may have stopped the switch-over of people temporarily, but their ‘lodging-boarding’ booking in the BJP has not been cancelled”.
With an unmistakable reference to Ajit Pawar, the “Saamana” stated: “Those wanting to join the BJP should realise that once these people switch sides, people will finish their political career irrespective of how big the leader is. We have seen this in the case of the Shiv Sena leaders joining the BJP. The leaders have been reduced to a state akin to stray dogs in the BJP. Hence, for all those wanting to join the BJP means shooting oneself in the foot”.
“These days, anyone can join the BJP. There is nothing like morality or moral value these days. By joining the BJP, you may get temporary relief from the CBI and ED, but the sword of criminal action will be like swinging swords over the heads of the,” the Sena mouth-piece said.
Dwelling upon the massive tremors that Pawar’s announcement about his decision to step down as the NCP chief caused within the NCP, the “Saamana” stated: “Sharad Pawar is the Nationalist Congress Party. He is like a mythological banyan tree. He broke away from the Congress, founded and built the NCP independently… However, he has not prepared the second run leadership to take the party forward after him and failed to produce a successor”.