Ajit Pawar triggers NCP-Congress row, attacks top leaders in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar has shot off his mouth again: this time, he tore into some senior Congress leaders, questioning the background of one of them, at a public rally, forcing Congress to ask NCP chief Sharad Pawar to rein in his nephew, Ajit.


Few months back, Pawar had angered many with his infamous ‘urine’ remark. The recent diatribe has infuriated many leaders in the Congress, the coalition partner of NCP in Maharashtra.

At the recent rally, after NCP’s poor performance in the Sangli civic polls, Pawar Jr chose to attack the Congress top order in Maharashtra, and didn’t even spare Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

In an obvious reference to state Industries Minister Narayan Rane, who grew up in Mumbai’s Chembur area, Pawar said, “Many people who have made it big in politics come from dubious backgrounds. There used to be a gang of criminals operating in the Chembur area: one is Hariya, but I will not name the other one since he is a minister in our government. Police officers tell me that they used to beat up this person in lock-up, but now feel odd because they have to salute him as he is a cabinet minister.”

Pawar also attacked the state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, saying, “Those who have no backing in the Congress, have been asked to head the state unit in Maharashtra.” The NCP leader didn’t even spare CM Chavan, who is a member of the legislative council and not assembly, saying, “People who can’t get directly elected to the state assembly from any constituency have been given back-door entry, and have been put in charge of Maharashtra.”

The Congress is livid with Pawar’s outbursts and has taken up the matter with the high command in Delhi. “Is this any way to talk if they want to run a coalition government with us? I will not comment on anything, people (voters) will teach them a lesson,” countered Rane. State Rehabilitation Minister Patangrao Kadam, who comes from Sangli, said his party will raise the issue with Sharad Pawar. Incensed by Pawar’s comments, Thakre also hit back at him, saying he would have been nothing without the backing of his uncle, Sharad Pawar.

Senior political analyst Kumar Ketkar was also critical of Junior Pawar’s comments. “NCP seems to have lost its social anchor. Earlier, the party had a very good social network in the cooperative sector and rural institutions, but has now lost it. Most NCP leaders are like loose cannons and the high command doesn’t have control over them.

These comments stem from the party’s arrogance,” said Ketkar. With the BJP and Shiv Sena out of the equation for most local municipal elections, the state allies -- Congress and NCP – will end up competing against each other for local polls. But for the Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, they will be forced to fight as alliance partners.