PM accepts Pawar’s invite; Sena fumes

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 27

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised the hackles of the BJP’s junior partner in Maharashtra by accepting an invitation from NCP leader Sharad Pawar to visit his stronghold Baramati on February 14.

Last weekend, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray warned the BJP-led state government not to back track the promises made to the people before the Assembly elections. Shortly afterwards, the Sena’s Ramdas Kadam, who is the Environment Minister in the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet, “advised” the Chief Minister not to make money while clearing proposals from various builders.

Senior BJP leaders are now demanding that Fadnavis drop Kadam from the Cabinet. Such a move is likely to raise the hackles of Thackeray since the Sena’s move to join the BJP-led government was scripted by Kadam and other senior party leaders. Kadam has refused to comment on the incident and did not even come out to say that he was misquoted by the media.

On the other hand, the BJP is seen playing off Sharad Pawar and the NCP against the Shiv Sena to keep the regional outfit in check ahead of the local body elections in Mumbai, Thane and other cities in the next couple of years.

Modi’s closeness to Pawar is drawing opposition from farmers’ groups which backed the BJP in the last Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections.The Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers’ party, which contested the elections in an alliance with the BJP has written to Modi not to attend the event.