Uddhav seems uninterested in staying with BJP: Pawar
KARJAT: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said he met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray a few days ago to discuss the political situation in the state. The comment comes amidst the buzz that former Congress leader Narayan Rane is set to join the BJP government, which the Sena is reportedly not happy about.
Pawar opined Thackeray is not interested in continuing as an ally of the BJP in the state government, which has triggered panic in the state’s political circles.
Thackeray called on Pawar at Silver Oak Estate, the latter’s residence at Bhulabhai Desai Road in south Mumbai, about 10 days ago.
Pawar said Thackeray met him along with MP Sanjay Raut, but refused to give details of the conversation. A senior Sena leader close to Thackeray, too, confirmed that a meeting took place between the leaders. However, the Sena has not made any statement. Sources in the BJP sought to dismiss the whole thing as a pressure tactic to prevent Thackeray’s bete noire Rane’s entry into the state cabinet.
“I feel that Uddhav Thackeray is not interested in continuing with the (Bjp-led) state government,” Pawar told reporters, on the sidelines of a two-day NCP conclave to discuss the party’s future plans. He also dismissed speculations of the NCP supporting the BJP or the Sena. “We would like to have talks for alliance only with like-minded parties,” he said.the former Union minister said the NCP had been in the government with the Congress for 15 years and would prefer to continue with them.
Sources close to Pawar, however, said Thackeray asked the NCP chief what his stand would be if the Sena decided to snap ties with the BJP. Pawar’s reply was he would take a decision only after the Sena makes the move, said a senior NCP leader, on the condition of anonymity. The development assumes significance because the NCP had given unconditional support to the BJP to form its government immediately after 2014 Assembly elections, when the latter won 122 seats and fell short of 23 for a simple majority in the house of 288. The Sena had chosen to sit in the Opposition, but two months later, joined the government, albeit on terms set by the BJP.
The Sena has been unhappy because it did not get its desired portfolios.
The relations between the two allies are not cordial and have turned even more bitter with the BJP’S decision to get Rane into the NDA to counter the Sena in its stronghold of Konkan.
Once a senior leader of the Sena, Rane is now an opponent of Thackeray. He quit the party with a group of MLAS after criticising Thackeray’s leadership.