Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 12: In yet another blow to the opposition unity in the INDIA bloc, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is now on warpath against its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by the veteran leader Sharad Pawar.
The Opposition INDIA bloc was facing an existential crisis after the Aam Aadmi Party – Congress clash in Haryana and followed by Delhi Assembly elections and the AAP rout in Delhi. The bloc is now witnessing an impending row in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar, the veteran leader who was seen as the glue in keeping the three-party MVA alliance in Maharashtra together, has caused huge upset to its ally Shiv Sena.
Mr Pawar has conferred at a function in Delhi an award — the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar – to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was instrumental in splitting the Sena and pulling down Mr Thackeray’s government. On Tuesday, Mr Shinde received the award from Mr Pawar on the occasion of the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Delhi. In his subsequent address, he shared that he has good relations with Mr Pawar.
The Sena, now, is on the warpath. Expressing his displeasure, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said he did not expect Pawar to participate in the function and confer an award on Mr Shinde. How can a “backstabber” who betrayed Shiv Sena and broke the party be awarded by a senior leader like Mr Pawar, he said. Calling the event a “political gathering of brokers,” he said “Such awards given to political leaders are either bought or sold.”
The BJP’s Shaina NC taunted Mr Raut, saying he has “lost his mental balance.” “He will never get any award, therefore, is objecting to the Rashtra Gaurav award. One should be happy and proud that the awardee is from the Marathi community,” she said.
Mr Pawar has routinely made headlines and sparked speculation about switch in sides with his unexpected moves and his political past. The last time this had happened was when he applauded the work of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sometime after the opposition’s rout in the assembly election.
There was no comment on the issue either from the NCP or the Congress, the third partner in the MVA alliance.
