Sharad Pawar, the founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and one of the architects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra, has criticized Uddhav Thackeray's administrative capabilities and Ajit Pawar's unethical conduct in his recently released autobiography, 'Lok Maze Sangati'.
The criticism has come as a surprise to many as it is the first time that Sharad Pawar has spoken openly against the MVA's leader and the Shiv Sena party. The revelations could potentially hurt the MVA's stability, which is already facing internal tensions.
Ajit Pawar's swearing-in and misuse of Sharad Pawar's name
In the autobiography, Sharad Pawar has revealed that he was unaware of Ajit Pawar's early morning swearing-in as Deputy Chief Minister alongside the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis in 2019 and never supported the move, which was unethical. Fadnavis had claimed that the NCP leadership was aware of the move and had acted with the knowledge of Sharad Pawar.
However, Sharad Pawar has said that Ajit Pawar had submitted a list of around 40 legislators in a letter, claiming he had the support of the NCP legislature party, but the list was misused to misguide a section of NCP legislators. Sharad Pawar clarified that he had never supported Ajit Pawar's decision and that it was a bad decision by Ajit.
Uddhav Thackeray's lack of political acumen
Sharad Pawar has also criticized Uddhav Thackeray's political acumen in the book, stating that he lacked experience and failed to quell the rebellion within the Shiv Sena party. Pawar has also expressed surprise at the fact that as Chief Minister of one of the most progressive states, Thackeray would only visit the administrative headquarters, Mantralaya, twice a week.
Sharad Pawar has stated that the MVA was a significant achievement for anti-BJP parties when other political parties were being wound up, but the Shiv Sena leadership failed to quell the rebellion within the party. Pawar has added that Uddhav Thackeray's resignation as a result of the rebellion dealt a blow to the MVA.
Pawar's actions to quell the rebellion
Sharad Pawar has also revealed in the autobiography that he walked out of a crucial meeting when talks were dragging due to Congress' indifferent attitude and the MVA's chances looked bleak. He felt that Ajit Pawar, who is an emotional person, had taken a hasty decision due to impatience.
To quell the rebellion within the NCP, Pawar called a meeting of NCP legislators, where 50 of the 54 legislators attended. He concluded that the rebellion had failed to take off, and on the following day, he had a joint press conference with Uddhav Thackeray to send a clear message that the MVA was intact.
