MUMBAI: The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday claimed that the BJP leadership was the “mastermind” behind NCP leader Sunetra Pawar’s appointment as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, just days after the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar.
An editorial in Saamana, the mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged that the BJP leadership, along with Nationalist Congress Party leaders Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel, does not want the unification of the two factions of the NCP.
Sunetra Pawar took oath as Maharashtra’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday, barely three days after Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in an air crash in Baramati, Pune district. The timing of the swearing-in invited criticism from several quarters.
Rival NCP (SP) chief and Ajit Pawar’s uncle, Sharad Pawar, said on Saturday that he had “no idea” about Sunetra Pawar’s swearing-in.
The Saamana editorial questioned whose decision it was for Sunetra Pawar to take oath, noting that neither NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, working president Supriya Sule, nor other members of the Pawar family were aware of the move. It claimed that Sunetra Pawar had not given any indication that she was travelling from Baramati to Mumbai for the ceremony.
“The BJP leadership is the mastermind behind this politics,” the editorial alleged.
It further claimed that Ajit Pawar’s death has deepened political complications within the Pawar family and Maharashtra’s political landscape, and that several leaders do not wish for these issues to be resolved.
According to the editorial, ambitions within the NCP intensified after Ajit Pawar’s death, leading to a race for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. It also alleged differences between Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, claiming Sunetra Pawar was “installed” as Deputy CM to prevent control of the party passing to Patel.
While Sunetra Pawar was made to “steer the ship”, the editorial said, its engine and controls remain with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It further alleged that both Sunetra Pawar and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena survive politically at Fadnavis’s discretion.
The editorial stated that Sunetra Pawar’s post should not be merely ornamental and expressed hope that she would not be a “gungi gudiya” (mute doll), but would function effectively.
It also criticised the alliance between the NCP and the “sanatani-minded” BJP, claiming that Sunetra Pawar taking oath even before the completion of her husband’s last rites rituals did not align with Hindutva beliefs.