A day after his expulsion from Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena and his subsequent appointment as the Leader by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the newly constituted national executive, Ramdas Kadam accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar and former DCM Ajit Pawar of breaking the Shiv Sena while remaining in power during the MVA rule. He claimed that Pawars took advantage of Thackeray’s illness and systematically weakened the Shiv Sena. Kadam also lashed out at Thackeray for his neglect to the hardcore Shiv Sainiks like him while he also criticised the style of functioning of Aaditya Thackeray that led to division in the party.
However, state NCP chief spokesman Mahesh Tapase dismissed Kadam's remarks, claiming the BJP was behind the split in the Shiv Sena and that the rebel leaders were trying to divert the attention from it by targeting Pawar. ‘’The MVA was formed due to Pawar's initiative and even after the rebellion, the NCP is still supporting Uddhav Thackeray and his group of Sena leaders,’’ he noted.
Kadam said, "I have given ample proof to Uddhavji about how NCP chief Sharad Pawar is breaking the Shiv Sena." He (Pawar) has given good posts to members of the Kunabi community (in Konkan) and also strengthened them with funds, Kadam claimed.
"The chief minister was ours, funds came from government coffers, but the party (Sena) was systematically weakened by Pawar. Many MLAs expressed similar concerns before you (Uddhav Thackeray), but you were not ready to leave Pawar,’’ he further claimed.
Had (Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray been alive today, would he have allowed Uddhav Thackeray to become chief minister with the support of the NCP and Congress? Kadam wondered.
Kadam said he had opposed Uddhav Thackeray's move (in 2019) to join hands with the NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra.
"I told him (Uddhav) that it is like committing a sin. His (Balasaheb Thackeray's) soul will not be at peace with this arrangement," he said.
By hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Kadam, who had lost command even in his own Khed assembly in Ratnagiri district which is now represented by his son Yogesh Kadam, has joined yet another Pawar’s baiter. In the united Congress, leaders after leaders used to target Pawar in a bid to remain in good books of the Congress high command and even after Pawar formed NCP in June 1999 he had been the obvious target by his opponents to hot the headlines and increase stock in the state politics.
Kadam’s criticism against Pawar was not new as he has repeatedly alleged that Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab made every attempt to tie up with local NCP leaders to politically finish him, his son and his supporters in Khed constituency. Kadam, who was once a close confidant of party supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and assumed the leader of opposition’s post, lost his clout over the period. During the BJP led government he was made Environment Minister but after Shiv Sena formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with NCP and Congress he was dropped which he did not like. Kadam attacked Thackeray for declining a ministerial berth while making a veteran Subhash Desai a minister. Besides, his grudge was that party dumped him in the local as well as state politics.
