Sharad Pawar tore masks of those with 1 foot in BJP: Saamna

MUMBAI: Describing NCP chief Sharad Pawar as "the hero of the developments following his decision to resign," the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna on Thursday said that some NCP leaders who were sitting on the fence and lamented the most after Pawar's resignation had been exposed by his move.
Saamna said in an editorial that those who fell at Pawar's feet and had tears in their eyes after he announced his resignation "have one foot in the BJP." If such people were going to drag him down in the days to come, "he has torn their masks." The Sena said that though Pawar "is the Bhishma of politics, he is not lying on a bed of arrows in battle and has instead shown that he still calls the shots." Saamna wondered if Pawar had taken the step to stop Ajit Pawar and his group from going their own way.
Saamna wrote, "A faction in the NCP is on the verge of joining the BJP and in an atmosphere where an earthquake could happen in state politics at any time, Pawar resigned and created an earthquake. Is the reason for the resignation the uneasiness created by investigating agencies like ED in the party and the path to BJP chosen by colleagues out of that uneasiness? Many leaders in the state are on the fence today, and many of them belong to Pawar's party. Some leaders who are on the fence lamented the most after Pawar's resignation. Sharad Pawar resigned from the post of party president and exposed everyone."
The paper said "there is nothing wrong if Pawar has a secular idea that he should retire with dignity rather than see the party split like this."
The Sena also pointed out it was rare to see Pawar read out a written speech. "This never happens. He had carefully prepared the draft of his emotional appeal and resignation."
According to Saamna, even if some MLAs of the NCP "leave tomorrow, this (resignation move) can be a serious experiment to test the public mind so that the district-level office-bearers and cadre should stay behind with him (Sharad Pawar)."
Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had earlier written in Saamna about how Pawar had told Uddhav Thackeray that NCP would not go with BJP but if individual legislators took a decision, it would be their personal call and not the party's.