Mumbai: Me Yetoy', was the terse message accompanying a candid close-up of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar which was circulated across social media on Thursday.
'I am coming,' Pawar has warned and this simple sentence speaks volumes, considering that the assembly poll is on October 21. As for where he is going, one thing is clear: He is paying the Enforcement Directorate office a visit on Friday, of his own accord.
Suddenly, the NCP seems charged and outraged that their 'saheb' has been wrongly named in the ED FIR and party workers from the city and the heartland too are expected to join him on his way to the ED office in large numbers.
This has the police on tenterhooks. Meanwhile, there are rumours that the ED will keep its doors shut, thereby preventing Pawar and his followers from entering its office at Ballard Pier.
The bold step Pawar has announced -- of going to the ED despite not having been summoned -- has caught the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led government off guard.
The series of messages, with posters of Pawar, has become the official media campaign of sorts, thanks to the ED's 'shooting in the dark'. Other posters say, "I am coming to question the dictatorship," a direct shot at the politically vindictive move by the government, say party workers.
Reminiscent of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'chowkidar' campaign, wherein party members appended 'chowkidar' to their names, all NCP workers have Sharad Pawar's picture as their Display Profile photo on their WhatsApp accounts.
Even as other leading parties are in the planning stage of their social media campaigns, the NCP has already set off, with their boss capturing the optics.
Many observers chuckle, wondering aloud whether it is Pawar who will question the ED, or vice versa. However, the ED may not question him, as they have not yet sent him an official summons.
The NCP youth workers will gather in large numbers at their party head office, which is located, rather strategically, behind the ED office.
"We will fight this government by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Pawarsaheb, who is like a father to us," said, Ravikant Warpe, working president of the NCP youth wing.
Pawar, sensing that his supporters may get aggressive, has asked them to ensure the public is not inconvenienced in any way. "I appeal to all my NCP cadres and supporters, not to gather near the ED office premises.
In keeping with our tradition to honour the Constitution and respect institutions, I request your co-operation with the police and other government agencies," Pawar tweeted.
