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Journalism of Courage
NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray at his residence, Matoshri, in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. Though it is too early to term it as a beginning of a possible political realignment in the state, the meeting between the two leaders is sure to upset the allies of both the Shiv Sena and the Congress.
The two top leaders of Maharashtra were closeted for 90 minutes. “Saamana” executive editor and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut was also present, but only at the outset. Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray is away on a vacation.
The meeting, in many ways, sent a signal that neither the Congress nor the BJP can take their allies for granted. While Pawar has a vested interest in keeping the Congress under check, the Shiv Sena needs to stall any move by BJP leaders Gopinath Munde and Nitin Gadkari to alter the current seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties. After the Gujarat defeat, the Congress can’t risk upsetting any coalition partner, particularly someone as resourceful as Pawar. And though BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani has removed the strains which had developed in BJP-Sena relations, Thackerays remain suspicious of the designs of the Munde-Gadkari combine.
Sources said that Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane was also a topic of discussions. A former Shiv Sainik, Rane is trying to replace Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh with the help of Congress General Secretary in-charge of the state Margaret Alva and state party chief Prabha Rau. This is surely the last thing that Thackeray wants. After all, Rane had not only caused a split in his party but also triggered a downward slide of the Sena, which was reversed only after the Sena won the BMC poll. As a chief minister, Rane can be a headache for Thackerays. The best bet to pre-empt it is Pawar, if nothing else succeeds. The NCP chief, too, is wary of Rane because of his brash political style.
Thackeray and Pawar share a close bonding. They have criticised one another at times for the sake of their wider political games, but have protected one another’s interests at crucial junctures. For example, Thackeray ensured a safe passage for Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule when she contested for the Rajya Sabha. And Pawar has steered clear of Thackeray’s rebellious nephew Raj.
