By Express News Service
After a split in his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar says he was very much aware of his nephew Ajit Pawar’s mutinous mood. In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, he tells Sudhir Suryawanshi about a gap in his party after the second-rung leadership left the NCP and joined hands with the BJP. The veteran politician says that Opposition unity is possible, but it is not an easy task; there are many practical difficulties. Yet post-elections, they can come together, he says.
Excerpts:
The NCP split is seen as a second major political development post-Balasaheb Thackeray’s death and the rise of his son Uddhav followed by a division in Shiv Sena. Ajit has deserted you to become Deputy CM in the BJP-led government. Did you ever anticipate such upheavals?
The mutiny by Ajit Pawar was not at all shocking for me. I was fully aware; they did not hide anything. In fact, they were pressurising me to agree to their joining the BJP. It has been going for a long time. They wanted the entire NCP to join the BJP government. However, I kept refusing because I cannot take such a big decision alone without consulting our party. I take everyone into confidence before taking major decisions that will have long-term impact on party politics. I have to respect my cadre. Therefore, we did take a different decision and refused to go with those who aligned with BJP.
Do you think this time the challenge of rebuilding the party is bigger as it involves your nephew who grew under your shadow?
It is true that this time, the people with whom I had strong personal and emotional relationships have taken a different stand. After all, we all worked together and were affectionately tied to each other. However, in a democracy, everyone is free to take a different stand.
What about the party network that seems to have moved with Ajit Pawar?
I am not much worried about the network, which we will have to rebuild. The process has already started. Ajit may have taken the party MLAs, but the cadre of the party is intact and remains with us. We are very much here, so we will focus on strengthening the party.
Ajit has informed the Election Commission that they are the real NCP – in a similar case of Shiv Sena rebels. The EC recognised the rebel group as the real Sena and gave them a party name and symbol. Are you ready for a long legal battle against your nephew?
I do not think such a thing will happen with NCP. We are not required to fight the legal battle because we are the real NCP, and the party is very much with us.
Ajit has made critical and personal comments against you. However, your speeches remain focused on ideological aspects. Any reason?
I wish to make it clear that I will not make any personal comment or criticise them as they have done. We have to maintain dignity in political discourse.Everyone has to fight a battle differently. I will have to focus on expanding, strengthening and rebuilding the party by infusing new and fresh blood.
At the age of 83, your spirit to fight is intact…
I have been active in politics for more than 50 years. I was chief minister and a Union minister for years. My focus has always been on the party and its network. I was groomed by Yashwantrao Chavan, the first chief minister of Maharashtra. I have worked hard and successfully developed the second-rung leadership in the party. When NCP came into power allying with Congress in 1999, I nurtured many new and young faces, developing them as a second-rung leadership by inducting them directly as cabinet ministers. All of them performed very well in Maharashtra. I was very happy to see these leaders growing as efficient administrators and leaders as well. Meanwhile, I cut down my day-to-today activities in the state and started giving more time to national politics.
There is a void in the party leadership now; there is no third-generation leadership. How do you see this?
True, I did not pay much attention to grooming the third-generation leadership in party and dministration. The second generation should have groomed the next leadership as I did. Unfortunately, it did not happen; the onus is on me as well.
What are the big takeaways from this mutiny?
The mutiny showed the reality: We failed to fill a big generation gap in the party on time. We neglected this big space; we could have given more attention to it. The leadership potential and active youth committed to secular and progressive ideology would have filled this gap easily. However, it has also given us an opportunity to fill this leadership gap.
In your rallies, youth and women are seen in large numbers. How to do you see it as an 83-year-old politician?
I have started touring the state and can easily see that the younger lot is not happy with the decisions taken by our people to join hands with the BJP. These youngsters are coming forward and getting connected to me. The younger generation with new ideas is ready to work hard.
The Opposition had a successful meeting in Patna. Your role is important for them to bring together the non-BJP parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Will the Opposition unity be a reality?
Everyone believes that all opposition parties have to come together for the country’s sake. However, we have to understand that Opposition unity is not easy. We all realise that we need to stay united if we want to defeat the BJP. There are some practical difficulties we cannot ignore. For example, in the West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and Congress are the main political rivals. In Kerala, the communists and Congress are rivals. If these issues are not sorted out, then we need to look at opening the window of unity post-elections. We have to prepare for different types of political scenarios.
Post-Bharat Jodo Yatra, how do you see the transformation of Rahul Gandhi?
I think Rahul Gandhi is a person who does serious politics, but unfortunately, he was not taken seriously by the people. After Bharat Jodo Yatra, people are more amenable to understanding Rahul’s importance in terms of connecting with him. This is a positive and palpable change.
What about Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra?
Frankly, we do not have a major dispute in MVA. Actually, I am more concerned about the national-level Opposition alliance and its unity. I am confident of MVA unity in the state.
Do you think PM Modi’s charisma is fading away?
It is 100 per cent true. We cannot ignore regional leaders if we want to come into power. If we look at the map of India, there is no doubt BJP is an important party, but it has little presence in many states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh. People are rallying behind parties that are strongly against BJP.
Is this the reason behind BJP’s strategy to break regional parties?
It is true that the BJP wants to split and marginalise regional parties. It sees regional parties as a major stumbling block on its way to victory in parliamentary elections. The BJP is using all forces and resources to divide and rule. Regional parties are a formidable force. Due to these parties, the BJP is struggling to expand its footprint across the country.
The Supreme Court passed an order against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) terming the last year extension to its director as invalid. Your take?
I have not checked the legal angle of the judgment and remarks against the ED functioning. However, in case if the ED director’s tenure has been termed illegal, then actions taken by him and the agency are also illegal and invalid.
How do you see your daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule in the party?
Supriya’s performance as a parliamentarian has been appreciated even by her political opponents. She was awarded the best parliamentarian award multiple times. This is her fourth term as MP. As the working president of the party and in charge of Maharashtra, she will focus on strengthening the party.
After the NCP split, is there any plan to merge it with Congress?
We are working as a separate entity as NCP. I do follow the ideology and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru. I will be happy if people believing in Gandhi-Nehru thought come together. The NCP and I are not alone in following such an ideology. In West Bengal, Trinamool and the Congress cannot easily come together but they do follow the Gandhi-Nehru ideology. If people following the same ideology come together, then it will be a good thing for the Congress.
After a split in his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar says he was very much aware of his nephew Ajit Pawar’s mutinous mood. In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, he tells Sudhir Suryawanshi about a gap in his party after the second-rung leadership left the NCP and joined hands with the BJP. The veteran politician says that Opposition unity is possible, but it is not an easy task; there are many practical difficulties. Yet post-elections, they can come together, he says.
Excerpts:
The NCP split is seen as a second major political development post-Balasaheb Thackeray’s death and the rise of his son Uddhav followed by a division in Shiv Sena. Ajit has deserted you to become Deputy CM in the BJP-led government. Did you ever anticipate such upheavals? googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The mutiny by Ajit Pawar was not at all shocking for me. I was fully aware; they did not hide anything. In fact, they were pressurising me to agree to their joining the BJP. It has been going for a long time. They wanted the entire NCP to join the BJP government. However, I kept refusing because I cannot take such a big decision alone without consulting our party. I take everyone into confidence before taking major decisions that will have long-term impact on party politics. I have to respect my cadre. Therefore, we did take a different decision and refused to go with those who aligned with BJP.
Do you think this time the challenge of rebuilding the party is bigger as it involves your nephew who grew under your shadow?
It is true that this time, the people with whom I had strong personal and emotional relationships have taken a different stand. After all, we all worked together and were affectionately tied to each other. However, in a democracy, everyone is free to take a different stand.
What about the party network that seems to have moved with Ajit Pawar?
I am not much worried about the network, which we will have to rebuild. The process has already started. Ajit may have taken the party MLAs, but the cadre of the party is intact and remains with us. We are very much here, so we will focus on strengthening the party.
Ajit has informed the Election Commission that they are the real NCP – in a similar case of Shiv Sena rebels. The EC recognised the rebel group as the real Sena and gave them a party name and symbol. Are you ready for a long legal battle against your nephew?
I do not think such a thing will happen with NCP. We are not required to fight the legal battle because we are the real NCP, and the party is very much with us.
Ajit has made critical and personal comments against you. However, your speeches remain focused on ideological aspects. Any reason?
I wish to make it clear that I will not make any personal comment or criticise them as they have done. We have to maintain dignity in political discourse.
Everyone has to fight a battle differently. I will have to focus on expanding, strengthening and rebuilding the party by infusing new and fresh blood.
At the age of 83, your spirit to fight is intact…
I have been active in politics for more than 50 years. I was chief minister and a Union minister for years. My focus has always been on the party and its network. I was groomed by Yashwantrao Chavan, the first chief minister of Maharashtra. I have worked hard and successfully developed the second-rung leadership in the party. When NCP came into power allying with Congress in 1999, I nurtured many new and young faces, developing them as a second-rung leadership by inducting them directly as cabinet ministers. All of them performed very well in Maharashtra. I was very happy to see these leaders growing as efficient administrators and leaders as well.
Meanwhile, I cut down my day-to-today activities in the state and started giving more time to national politics.
There is a void in the party leadership now; there is no third-generation leadership. How do you see this?
True, I did not pay much attention to grooming the third-generation leadership in party and dministration. The second generation should have groomed the next leadership as I did. Unfortunately, it did not happen; the onus is on me as well.
What are the big takeaways from this mutiny?
The mutiny showed the reality: We failed to fill a big generation gap in the party on time. We neglected this big space; we could have given more attention to it. The leadership potential and active youth committed to secular and progressive ideology would have filled this gap easily. However, it has also given us an opportunity to fill this leadership gap.
In your rallies, youth and women are seen in large numbers. How to do you see it as an 83-year-old politician?
I have started touring the state and can easily see that the younger lot is not happy with the decisions taken by our people to join hands with the BJP. These youngsters are coming forward and getting connected to me. The younger generation with new ideas is ready to work hard.
The Opposition had a successful meeting in Patna. Your role is important for them to bring together the non-BJP parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Will the Opposition unity be a reality?
Everyone believes that all opposition parties have to come together for the country’s sake. However, we have to understand that Opposition unity is not easy. We all realise that we need to stay united if we want to defeat the BJP. There are some practical difficulties we cannot ignore. For example, in the West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and Congress are the main political rivals. In Kerala, the communists and Congress are rivals. If these issues are not sorted out, then we need to look at opening the window of unity post-elections. We have to prepare for different types of political scenarios.
Post-Bharat Jodo Yatra, how do you see the transformation of Rahul Gandhi?
I think Rahul Gandhi is a person who does serious politics, but unfortunately, he was not taken seriously by the people. After Bharat Jodo Yatra, people are more amenable to understanding Rahul’s importance in terms of connecting with him. This is a positive and palpable change.
What about Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra?
Frankly, we do not have a major dispute in MVA. Actually, I am more concerned about the national-level Opposition alliance and its unity. I am confident of MVA unity in the state.
Do you think PM Modi’s charisma is fading away?
It is 100 per cent true. We cannot ignore regional leaders if we want to come into power. If we look at the map of India, there is no doubt BJP is an important party, but it has little presence in many states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh. People are rallying behind parties that are strongly against BJP.
Is this the reason behind BJP’s strategy to break regional parties?
It is true that the BJP wants to split and marginalise regional parties. It sees regional parties as a major stumbling block on its way to victory in parliamentary elections. The BJP is using all forces and resources to divide and rule. Regional parties are a formidable force. Due to these parties, the BJP is struggling to expand its footprint across the country.
The Supreme Court passed an order against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) terming the last year extension to its director as invalid. Your take?
I have not checked the legal angle of the judgment and remarks against the ED functioning. However, in case if the ED director’s tenure has been termed illegal, then actions taken by him and the agency are also illegal and invalid.
How do you see your daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule in the party?
Supriya’s performance as a parliamentarian has been appreciated even by her political opponents. She was awarded the best parliamentarian award multiple times. This is her fourth term as MP. As the working president of the party and in charge of Maharashtra, she will focus on strengthening the party.
After the NCP split, is there any plan to merge it with Congress?
We are working as a separate entity as NCP. I do follow the ideology and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru. I will be happy if people believing in Gandhi-Nehru thought come together. The NCP and I are not alone in following such an ideology. In West Bengal, Trinamool and the Congress cannot easily come together but they do follow the Gandhi-Nehru ideology. If people following the same ideology come together, then it will be a good thing for the Congress.
