Fissures resurface in MVA over Ajit Pawar’s ‘soft’ stand towards Shinde-Fadnavis govt.
The Hindu
Partners of Opposition MVA accuse him of not being ‘forceful’ enough on State government; differences with NCP State chief Jayant Patil also reflect a potential struggle for the party’s control,
The suspension of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) State president Jayant Patil for the better part of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly session and the perceived ‘softness’ of Patil’s party colleague Ajit Pawar (who is Leader of Opposition) towards the ruling Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis dispensation has again brought tensions within the Sharad Pawar-led party to the fore.
Mr. Ajit, known for his outspoken talk, has long had a chequered career within the NCP.
Be it his 2012 resignation or his 2019 short-lived ‘alliance’ with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, Mr. Ajit’s unpredictability has startled not just party bigwigs but has had reverberations for the politics of the state as well.
The rift between Mr. Patil, a seven-term MLA from Sangli’s Islampur-Walwa constituency who is believed to be a Sharad Pawar loyalist, is also reflective of a potential struggle for control of the NCP after Mr. Sharad Pawar’s exit.
Again, Mr. Ajit’s ‘friendship’ with BJP leader and Deputy CM Fadnavis has led his detractors and ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ partners (the Congress and the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction) to accuse him of not being ‘forceful’ enough on the ruling Shinde-Fadnavis government.
According to observers, Mr. Ajit’s ‘aggression’ in cornering the Shinde-led Sena- BJP coalition has been fitful at best.
“The Opposition ideally could have made a big issue of Mr. Patil’s resignation, but the necessary momentum from Mr. Ajit was absent. No wonder it prompted a call from Mr. Sharad Pawar to his nephew,” said a Mumbai-based analyst.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.