Mumbai: Leadership crisis within NCP raises questions on future of Vajramooth rally

Mumbai: The leadership crisis within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has put the future of Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) Vajramooth rally in limbo, sources have said.

Sharad Pawar was the binding force that brought and kept the MVA – the coalition of three parties – together. Hence, his decision to step down as party president has raised questions about the unity among these parties. The whole idea about the Vajramooth rallies was to showcase the opposition unity and highlight the failure of the government on all fronts. However, if the unity is can not be shown, what would be the use of such rallies, said a senior MVA leader.

Next rally scheduled for May 14

First Vajramooth Rally was held at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar on April 4. It fetched a very good response and raised expectations about the performance of the opposition. The second rally was at Nagpur on April 16 and the third was in Mumbai on May 1. All these rallies went off very well. The next rally is scheduled to be in Pune on May 14. The allies had taken responsibility of two rallies each. Like Shiv Sena managed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Mumbai rallies, while the Congress was responsible for Nagpur and Kolhapur rallies and the NCP has been entrusted with rallies at Pune and Nashik. 

However, after Sharad Pawar’s decision to step down, the NCP hasn’t recovered from the shock and hence the future of rally in Pune is still undecided, said the sources.

A senior leader also said that while the common party workers are in no mood to work for the rally unless Pawar retracts his decision, the leadership too appears undecided regarding the future direction of the party. Moreover, cancelling the rally would send wrong decision, the leader added.

Meanwhile, a sharp exchange of statements was seen between the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and MPCC president Nana Patole on Wednesday adding to confusion over existence of the MVA and the Vajramooth Rallies.

While reacting to developments in NCP, Raut had cited the Congress where Kharge is the president but, decisions are being made by Rahul Gandhi, he had said. Patole on Wednesday came down heavily against Raut over the statement and said, Raut should mind his own business and shouldn ‘t poke nose in other’s affairs. “He shouldn’t speak about our party president and the honour of the Gandhi family. Raut is not our party spokesperson,” Patole said.

He also added that the Congress shall fight against the NCP if the later decides to go with the BJP. “We shall fight with the BJP along with those who will come with us,” Patole said.

Patole also said, It was Pawar who had gone to Sonia Gandhi with a proposal to form MVA and not the other way round. The party shall make its stand clear on the allegations levelled against the Congress in Pawar’s autobiography released on May 2.