Bhujbal targets Pawar, praises Thackeray

MUMBAI: Very few can stir up controversy as swiftly as Maharashtra’s former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal does. An NCP leader, Mr Bhujbal at his birthday bash in Mumbai took a dig at party chief Sharad Pawar while going ga ga over his former mentor Bal Thackeray. He might have left Shiv Sena, but his heart still burns for the Sena chief, the birthday celebrations indicate.

The birthday celebrations had another political overtone. Though he is a senior NCP leader, no one from his party graced the occasion while OBC leaders from all major parties made their presence felt. What made Mr Bhujbal’s felicitation all the more interesting was the fact that it was organised by Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) legislator Jayant Patil.

Mr Bhujbal, who turned 60 on Monday, was felicitated by his followers on Sunday night in the presence of BJP veteran Gopinath Munde. The BJP general secretary himself is not only an OBC leader of repute, but also a known Pawar-baiter. In fact, his campaign against Mr Pawar had dethroned the Maratha strongman in 1995 and he has vowed to launch a similar one again on the wheat import controversy.

For Mr Bhujbal, sources say, the bash was an attempt to come out of a prolonged phase of relative political hibernation. Mr Bhujbal, in his speech, fondly remembered his Shiv Sena days and lavished praise on his former mentor Bal Thackeray.

Recalling the Telgi scam in which his involvement was alleged, Mr Bhujbal turned a little bitter and subtle. “Those to whom I was looking for support left me in the lurch while common workers stood by me when I was being dragged into the Telgi scam,” said Mr Bhujbal, apparently referring to the manner in which Mr Pawar had asked him to resign as deputy chief minister then. However, Mr Bhujbal described Mr Pawar as one of the two great leaders in Maharashtra, the other being Mr Thackeray.

When the NCP leader was waxing eloquent about his mentors, it was Mr Munde’s presence on the dais that set the tongues wagging. “It can’t get more interesting than this. The coming together of two important OBC mass leaders in Maharashtra is not as simple as it looks. I won’t dismiss renewed speculations about the various choices Mr Bhujbal has for his political future and the importance of this function in that context,” said a senior BJP leader.

Various theories are doing rounds about the culmination of Mr Bhujbal’s deliberate cosying up to the BJP leader and also the Shiv Sena. While some BJP and NCP sources refused to read much into the felicitation programme, a large section believes Mr Bhujbal is trying to come out of a long phase of political listlessness.

“He was felicitated as a crusader for the rights of OBCs. This is significant since the OBCs in Maharashtra make a formidable votebank and they don’t have credible leaders other than Mr Bhujbal and Mr Munde,” said a source. He pointed out that Mr Bhujbal was the only OBC leader in NCP which is dominated by Maratha politicians. “He has a political premium on him which makes him an attractive package for other parties,” said a source.