NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said his party is united. (File)
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday said many Nationalist Congress Party leaders, who were weeping after Sharad Pawar's decision to step down as their party chief, have one foot in the Bharatiya Janata Party and another in NCP. The party's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said in an editorial that there are many in NCP who are sitting on the fence and by announcing his decision to step down, Sharad Pawar has exposed everyone.
Saamana said if the thought of quitting with dignity rather than seeing his party split must have come to Sharad Pawar's mind then there is nothing wrong with it.
"When Pawar announced his decision to step down, many wept. But many of them (who wept) have one foot in the BJP and another in the party (NCP)," the editorial said. It also asked whether the unease in the party over central agencies' action against some leaders and their apparent leaning towards the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) could have led to Pawar announcing his decision to quit.
It said the announcement to step down could also be his way to assess organisational strength if NCP MLAs walk away just like the Shiv Sena, referring to Eknath Shinde's rebellion last year.
Sharad Pawar's nephew and top NCP leader Ajit Pawar's end motive is to become the chief minister. His daughter Supriya Sule is in Delhi and has a good presence there and she works very efficiently in Parliament, said the editorial.
"But if she gets the party leadership then she will have to strive to achieve the heights of her father," it said. Pawar is the national president of the NCP and his party is Maharashtra-centric. So care must be taken while choosing the next leader who can handle the post of the national president, it said.
Terming Mr Pawar as the Bhishma (grandsire) of Indian politics, the editorial said that unlike the character of Mahabharat who was helplessly lying on a bed of arrows, the 82-year-old NCP president has shown that he is the real mastermind.
Responding to a question about the Saamana editorial, NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said his party is united and will put up candidates against the BJP to ensure that the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, wins maximum seats in the 2024 Assembly polls.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)