War Of Words Between BJP, Maharashtra Ally Over Article By RSS Leader

The BJP and its ally in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party, seem to have hit a rocky road after their rivals, the INDIA alliance, won more Lok Sabha seats in the state. The two parties on Thursday engaged in a war of words over an article in Organiser, a weekly known to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The article had criticised the BJP for contesting the elections along with Ajit Pawar's NCP.

The INDIA bloc won 30 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. The BJP and its allies won 17, of which NCP scored only one. Maharashtra sends second-highest representatives to the Lok Sabha - 48 - only next to Uttar Pradesh's 80.

According to reports, the BJP has launched an internal survey to assess if they should contest alone in the Assembly elections to be held later this year.

In an article, a senior RSS leader questioned the BJP's move to enter an alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, terming the move "ill-advised".

"Why was this ill-advised step taken? BJP supporters were hurt because they had fought against this Congress ideology for years and were persecuted. In a single stroke, BJP reduced its brand value," RSS' Ratan Sharda wrote in the article.

"Maharashtra is a prime example of unnecessary politicking and avoidable manipulations. Well-performing parliamentarians were ignored to accommodate such late comers," it added. 

Rajya Sabha MP and senior NCP leader Praful Patel though said that the article shouldn't be seen as a sign that all is not well between the two allies. "An article in a weekly does not reflect the BJP's stance. It should not be interpreted in that manner," he said.  

However, NCP youth wing leader Sooraj Chavan lashed out saying that when the BJP performs well, credit is given to the hard work of the RSS but a defeat is blamed on Ajit Pawar.

Hitting back, BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, "The RSS is like a father figure to all of us. There is no need to make comments about the RSS. Sooraj Chavan should not have rushed to comment on the organisation. The BJP has not commented against the NCP. It would be better if such issues are discussed during NDA meetings."

The first signs of discord between the two parties emerged when the NCP denied a Minister of State post in the new government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel both expressed a desire for a cabinet berth while rejecting the offer.

The argument from the NCP's side is that Mr Patel, as a former cabinet minister, is too senior a figure to hold a junior minister's post. Ajit Pawar told reporters his party is "ready to wait" for that cabinet berth.

Mr Patel was similarly resolute, telling reporters, "I was earlier cabinet minister (in the Congress-led UPA government and being made MoS (Minister of State) is a demotion."

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra along with the BJP and the Shiv Sena, managed to win just one seat (Raigad) of the four it contested in the Lok Sabha polls. It also lost the prestige battle in Baramati, where Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar was trounced by the sitting MP from the rival NCP faction and his cousin, Supriya Sule.

The Indo-Asian News Service, citing unnamed sources, reported that after the results, the BJP is considering whether to continue the alliance with Ajit Pawar or not.

"These surveys have been launched to find out how the party will get the simple majority going solo. Besides, the surveys will also show how the BJP will perform in an alliance with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. It will also gauge the mood about whether to continue its alliance with the NCP," a BJP source told IANS.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP score this time, 240, was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 it won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014. The INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions from exit polls.