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By Ritvick Arun Bhalekar: Saamana, the party mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), has criticised the party’s key ally Sharad Pawar, saying that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president failed to groom a successor who could take the party forward. The paper, however, praised Sharad Pawar for his “masterstroke” to spoil the BJP’s game plan of splitting the NCP with his resignation episode.
“There is no doubt that Pawar is a big leader on the national platform and his word has respect in national politics. However, he has failed to create a successor who can take his party forward. And that is the reason why his party was rattled when he decided to resign as the president. Every party worker was worried about his fate, “the paper, with Sena MP Sanjay Raut as its Executive Editor, said in an editorial. added.
“The moment Pawar announced his decision to step down from party president’s post, it caused a sensation in national politics which was but natural. More than national politics, it affected his party more. Because Sharad Pawar means Nationalist Congress Party. But the leadership that took the party forward after Sharad Pawar could not attain his stature in the politics,” it added.
Sharad Pawar on Friday withdrew his decision to step down as NCP president after mounting pressure from shocked party leaders and workers. This came three days after Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down as NCP chief that had also put a question mark on opposition unity efforts ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The editorial also claimed Pawar had no choice but to stay on as president.
ALSO READ | Sharad Pawar takes back decision to quit as NCP chief
‘BJP CANNOT WIN ELECTIONS THROUGH DEMOCRATIC MEANS’
The Saammana editorial claimed that the BJP does not believe in winning elections through democratic means. “It does not have the capability to win elections on its own. It wants to use ED, CBI, and Income Tax [Department] and play its political games,” it claimed.
“They (BJP) don’t possess so much power, thus, they want to do politics by breaking the strength of the opposition and using institutions like ED, CBI to break it. Everyone who is packing bags for BJP should think whether to live as a goat for hundred days or to live as a tiger for one day. Uddhav Thackeray decided to fight. Sharad Pawar said that he will fight till the end. This happened in Maharashtra, but important leaders like Lalu Yadav, KCR, Mamata and Stalin have also joined the fight. Activists keep fighting. The party does not stand on those who leave with bags. The coward leaders of all parties should form a separate party so that people will know who is the real man?” the editorial said in its conclusion.
ALSO READ | Sharad Pawar planned his resignation, prepared speech in advance: Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana
NCP SAYS ‘DON’T PROVOKE US’
The opinion piece has not gone down well with the NCP leaders. In a stern warning, senior NCP leader Chagan Bhujbal said, “Saamana’s executive editorial Sanjay Raut should be mindful of his words and should not provoke us. Why does he make such statements when even his leader Uddhav Thackeray has refrained from making any statement? Sharad Pawar is a senior leader with an experience in politics more than his age.”
“The claim made about the successor of the party is objectionable.Leaders like Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Praful Patel and Ajit Pawar are all the successors of his ideology taking his work forward in state and across the country,” Mahesh Tapase, spokesperson of NCP said.
ALSO READ | Will boost party workers: Ajit Pawar on Sharad Pawar’s decision to remain NCP chief
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