New Delhi: Was Sharad Pawar aware of the plot which was thickening and ultimately shattered the NCP citadel which he built brick by rick? It seems unlikely to believe that he wasn't. Despite his political acumen and calibre, the NCP patriarch was caught unaware while his house fell like nine pins.
If you are to believe in the words of ex-Home Minister of the state and Pawar confidante Anil Deshmukh, the veteran leader did not have an iota of idea about what was cooking inside the party which ultimately metamorphosed into an open revolt against him.
"While Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, and others have hurt the party, Sharad Pawar was unaware of these developments and was shell-shocked to see the outcome," Deshmukh said.
In a telephonic interview with ETV Bharat, Desmukh reveals what went wrong.
Q1. Ajit Pawar has been claiming that he has control over the NCP while Praful Patel, considered as the closest aid of Sharad Pawar, has also switched sides and the sacking and counter-sacking have happened. How do you see this? Was Sharad Pawar aware of these developments?
Answer: Sharad Pawar was completely unaware of these developments and he got the shock of his life when confronted with unfortunate incidents. Nobody in the NCP knew that something horrible was going to happen. This decision of Ajit Pawar is very painful and has shocked us.
Q2. The revolt happened just one year after Eknath Shinde engineered a coup within the Shiv Sena. Will NCP meet the same fate just like Sena?
Answer: The present dispensation is using pressure tactics to break parties. It is a well-known fact that when the coup happened in Shiv Sena, all defectors (Shinde camp) were paid Rs 50 crore each. Praful Patel and Ajit Pawar are one of the most senior leaders and I think pressure tactics have been used against them.
Q3. Most of the defectors, who have now joined the Fadnavis-Eknath Shinde camp in the Maharashtra assembly have been facing corruption charges and are under the scanner of central agencies. Do you think that this is the main reason behind Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel led the coup within the NCP?
Answer: I don't know about this. Sharad Pawar has already clarified this (referring to Sharad Pawar's statement thanking the Prime Minister for giving 'corrupt' colleagues a clean chit, days after PM Modi accused the NCP of corruption). I don't want to say anything more about this.
Q4. Now, the matter has gone to the Speaker, who is a ruling party member. Do you believe that justice will be done?
Answer: Not just the speaker but also the matter has gone to the Election Commission as well. Now, it's up to the party whip. Jayant Patil, who is the Maharashtra NCP president has appointed Jitender Awhad as the chief whip of the party. So, leaders will have to now follow his guidelines and rulings. Justice Chandrachud in his judgment in the Shiv Sena dispute said the party chief will appoint the chief whip and all the leaders will then have to follow him.
Q5. How many MLAs do you have at the moment?
Answer: Everything will be clear tomorrow( Wednesday). Wait for a day and all the rumours will be put to rest. As of now, we don't have the exact figures. All of us are with Sharad Pawar.
Q6. If all rebels seek re-entry into the NCP, will your party allow it?
Answer: This is just the beginning. Many leaders will return.
Q7. Don't you think that Praful Patel, the closest aid of Sharad Pawar, and his nephew Ajit Pawar have back-stabbed the party?
Answer: Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, and all others, who have now rebelled, are one of the most senior leaders. Their actions have caused us extreme pain. Look, it's utterly disturbing for Pawar Sahib, who is aged over 80. They shouldn't have done that. Shard Pawar is still the tallest leader and he will now be travelling to almost all districts. You will see many will welcome and join him. That is the charisma of Sharad Pawar. On Monday, Sharad Pawar paid tribute to his mentor Yashwantrao Chavan at Guru Purnima in Kerad where he was welcomed by thousands of his supporters.
Q8. What led rebels to trouble their own party which provided them a solid political platform?
Answer: I don't know what kind of pressure has forced them to hurt their own party. Everyone knows who is building pressure on them. We all know it.
Q9. Is it the power politics within the NCP did the damage amid talks of Sharad Pawar's willingness to offer the baton to Rohit Pawar to lead the party and not Parth Pawar, the son of Ajit Pawar?
Answer: These are false reports. Rohit Pawar is our legislator and Parth Pawar is like our son. Such reports are baseless.
Q10. In future, will Praful Patel and Ajit Pawar be allowed to join the Sharad Pawar camp?
Answer: Our own people have left us and joined the rival camp. They will realise their mistakes one day and come back to party fold.
