Chhagan Bhujbal's son Pankaj calls on Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, sparks speculation

Mumbai: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal's son Pankaj met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence on Wednesday, triggering speculation on whether the Sena has mellowed down its stand on the Shiv
Sainik-turned-NCP stalwart who was recently granted bail in a money laundering case.

A Shiv Sena source privy to the meeting said Thackeray advised Pankaj to take care of his ailing father who is in hospital. Bhujbal has been persona non-grata of the Sena leadership ever since he left the Bal Thackeray-founded party in 1991.

The Sena had termed Bhujbal's arrest in the money laundering case and subsequent incarceration as "fate's revenge" against him for his bid, when he was state home minister, to have Sena founder Bal Thackeray put behind bars.

"It was just a 15-minute courtesy call by Pankaj Bhujbal. There was no political discussion during the meeting," a Shiv Sena legislator told PTI. The meeting comes five days after Bhujbal, the former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in a money laundering case.

Indicating softening of the party stand vis-a-vis Bhujbal, party spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, "Had (Chhagan) Bhujbal been in the Sena today, such fate would not have befallen him. Bhujbal is a political adversary, but we do not have a personal enmity."

"Those who deserted late Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray ended in misery. Karti Chidambaram, the son of P Chidambaram, gets bail within eight days in a money laundering case. Then why did it take one-and-half-years for Bhujbal to get bail?" he asked.

The meeting between Pankaj and Thackeray also assumes significance as it comes days before the 21 May elections to the Nashik Local Authorities constituency in the legislative council. The Bhujbals have a strong support base in Nashik district.

However, the Sena legislator recalled that Bhujbal, despite quitting the Sena, had made a courtesy call on late party supremo Bal Thackeray in 2007. Asked if there was a possibility of Bhujbal shifting his political ideology after having been granted bail, the leader said it was highly unlikely. "(NCP chief) Sharad Pawar did a lot for Chhagan Bhujbal even after he was jailed. There is a slim chance of him betraying Pawar now," he said.

Bhujbal, a firebrand Shiv Sainik, had left the party after Manohar Joshi was made leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative Assembly. The divide grew wider as Bhujbal, after becoming home minister in 1999, vowed to have Bal Thackeray behind bars over his speeches and editorials in the party mouthpiece Saamana.

Another Sena leader, requesting anonymity, said Bhujbal had buried the hatchet with the Sena chief by meeting him in 2007, more than 16 years after leaving the party.

Bhujbal, 70, in jail since March 2016, was granted bail on 4 May by the Bombay High Court after it took into consideration his old age and deteriorating health. Bhujbal, currently undergoing treatment at civic-run KEM hospital in Mumbai, is likely to address a rally in Pune on 10 June when the Opposition NCP's hulla bol (attack) yatra would culminate.

Bhujbal, who handled the Public Works Department in the Congress-NCP government, was arrested in March 2016 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found in an inquiry that he allegedly misused his office in awarding contracts for PWD projects, causing a loss to the exchequer.