BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP have a common enemy: Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar at the Samvidhan Bachao session in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Express photo by Santosh Parab)

SETTING ASIDE their political differences, the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena and MNS seem to have joined hands to take on caste politics and they have a common enemy — NCP president Sharad Pawar. However, there is no formal understanding among the three parties in this regard.

A cartoon displayed on Raj Thackeray-led official website shows a huge banayan tree encircled by snakes. It also shows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis standing nearby with his hands tucked in the jacket, closely monitoring the tree. Behind him is a gentleman, perceived to be Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, holding a sword, urging the CM to weed out poisonous creepers (snakes) immediately. Else, it would completely destroy the tree.

The cartoon has evoked strong reactions across the political spectrum as it comes a week after Pawar played the “padgi politics” in Pune.

Last week, while felicitating senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, Pawar honoured him first with a red puneri pagdi (head gear) used by leaders like Lokmanya Tilak. He then replaced the puneri pagdi with OBC leader Mahatma Jyoti Phule’s blue pagdi. The message sent out was that party workers should felicitate individuals using “Phule pagdi”.

Although Raj Thackeray neither named Pawar nor the pagdi in the cartoon, its tone and tenor clearly admonished caste politics which was at play in state ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was more blunt. At a public rally on Tuesday, he slammed Pawar for choosing the head gear of Lokmanya Tilak and Jyotiba Phule for playing caste and community politics. “Awarding a Tilak or Phule pagdi does not elevate the stature of any individual. It was work the done by the two leaders which gave the padgi a special significance. Nobody should play politics on such issues.”

A BJP minister, requesting anonymity, said: “When you replace puneri padgi with Phule pagdi, it is bound to hurt the sentiments of the people and polarise them. If NCP was trying to use the padgi to consolidate the support of OBCs, it was a sad comment. It could have chosen other methods to win the support of OBCs.”

The NCP, however, has decided to underplay the controversy. A senior leader said, “Pawar has already explained that his intention was not to hurt any leader or followers.”

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said: “The attack from BJP, Shiv Sena and MNS is understandable. They can sense the consolidation of OBC votes in favour of NCP.”

“Pawar did nothing wrong. To the contrary, by felicitating Bhujbal with Tilak and Phule padgis, Pawar was depicting an act of equality,” he added.