Prithviraj Chavan: ‘I’d give benefit of doubt to Pawar (on JPC) … Don’t think he intended to give relief to Modi’

(MVA) was so huge that its three constituents — NCP, Congress, and Shiv Sena (Uddha Balasaheb Thackeray) — should not throw away the opportunity. He also speaks about Opposition unity and the role the Congress and Rahul Gandhi can play to ensure it.

Excerpts:

NCP chief Sharad Pawar contradicted the Congress’s stance on JPC in the Adani issue. What is your opinion on this?

We must see it with a proper perspective. Twenty Opposition parties met in Delhi and wanted to take the Adani matter to a logical conclusion. It is not a matter of one business group but it affects the credibility of the Indian financial system and financial regulatory mechanism.

The Congress sincerely believes that JPC is a strong, potent weapon in the hands of the Opposition to arrive at the truth. There is nothing better than that. There have been four JPCs till now. One in the Bofors issue, then Harshad Mehta during the tenure of P V Narasimha Rao, then the Ketan Parekh case, and finally in the case of pesticides in cold drinks issue that was incidentally chaired by Sharad Pawar. The Prime Minister will not accept the demand as he did not on issues such as demonetisation, GST, and the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. But we will have to keep asking as it is the right of an Opposition party.

Why did your key ally in Maharashtra voice a different opinion?

I don’t know the reason but we do not agree with what he said. People are trying to say that there are differences of opinion in Maharashtra. But one must realise that this is not a state issue but a national one. Even though the issue is almost over, the question remains as to why he said that and the channel he chose to give that interview was owned by Adani himself. But now we have passed that stage. Not only in India but in every democratic parliamentary system we see scrutiny by a committee.

I also think that he was not briefed correctly. Of course, Adani was targeted by Hindenburg which is a short-selling firm. It finds weaknesses or loopholes in the balance sheet of firms and attacks them, thereby causing huge losses in share values and making money on that. They didn’t target Tata or Ambani. Adani was targeted because people have been asking questions about sudden growth for a long time. It is not an attack on India but a question mark on the Indian regulatory system and we should be worried about it. A JPC inquiry will help to fill the loopholes, if any.

Do differing opinions on issues such as JPC, voting machines, or PM’s educational qualification jeopardise the Opposition’s attempts to unite?

I would like to give the benefit of the doubt to Mr Pawar. He is a very senior colleague and leader. I don’t think his intention was to give relief to Mr Modi, even his party won’t back him. He may have relations (with Adani). Nothing wrong with having a working relationship with a major investor, just like many CMs in the country where Adani has invested.

Even we are being asked about Rajasthan. I don’t think Opposition unity will be affected. In Maharashtra, we also had a difference of opinion on the issue of Savarkar. But let’s understand that an alliance works on a common minimum programme because different parties come with different ideas. Had we all agreed on every single aspect, then we would have been one single party. One can always agree to disagree. Just like we accepted Shiv Sena’s insistence to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad. The political advantage to be gained by fighting together is so huge that why should we throw away a good opportunity? I think we will fight together.

What is your assessment of the Shinde-Fadnavis government?

The government is working at less than half its strength. Apart from work, the ministers are overburdened by the fact that people in their constituencies have taken up switching their parties. The slogans against them have a deep impact. You see part of that effect in the bypolls. That is precisely why the government is not risking going into the local body elections. What could be the other reason? On the other hand, the financial condition is extremely bad, corruption has gone up, and I think the administration is working in an uncertain situation in a non-transparent manner. Eknath Shinde going to Ayodhya could be a matter of Hindutva or a beleaguered person going to a temple. I don’t know which one.

Will the MVA split if the Supreme Court decision goes against the Shinde government?

No, I don’t think so. In my understanding, the anti-defection law has been violated and they (Shinde and his MLAs, in all 16 of them) should be disqualified. But even if that happens, the government will still have a majority if the rest of the Shinde group decides to stick with the BJP. They just will have to choose another chief minister. If that will be Fadnavis or if they will select a Maratha face within the BJP or Shinde group is something I cannot comment on. A different equation will arise only if the rest of the MLAs decide to come back to Thackeray.

Is Rahul Gandhi emerging as a consensus to lead the Opposition in the 2024 elections?

I have my views on the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, on average, has won 35% of the votes, which means the Opposition has 65%. There are issues such as inflation, unemployment, and price rise and people are angry. This is something Modi will counter using Hindutva, Ram Mandir etc. The question is, can we avoid splitting the 65% of votes? The Congress has won around 19%, the highest among the Opposition. Therefore, it is imperative that all Opposition parties come together with the intention of fielding a common candidate against the BJP to avoid splitting votes. I am going back to the example of 1977, where Jayaprakash Narayan forged the unity of the Opposition without declaring the prime ministerial candidate. Can we repeat that in 2024? I think it is possible. But the responsibility of bringing everyone together has to be taken by Rahul Gandhi. This cannot be done by a leader of a party that wins 1% or 4% votes. This is the only way to defeat Mr Modi.