Mumbai: The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which got just four parliamentary seats within the Mahayuti alliance, has started posturing for the Maharashtra polls to send a clear message that it would not be short-changed in the next round of elections.
At a meeting on Monday in Mumbai, senior leaders decided to make it clear to the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena that they would not settle for less than 80 assembly seats.
Senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal was vocal about how the Dalits were angry with the BJP’s 400-seat plus slogan, and also strongly objected to the Mahayuti government introducing parts of Manusmriti in school textbooks.
The Maharashtra State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) released a draft on its official website on Saturday that seeks to overhaul the curricula of Class 3-12 in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).
One of the things proposed is a chapter on ‘value education and disposition’, which focuses on character-building, beginning with a Sanskrit verse on respecting elders taken from Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu legal text describing the social system.
“We have to make sure that we get at least 80-90 seats for Vidhan Sabha as promised to us. If we get 80-90, then only we have the chance to get 50 plus MLAs,” Bhujbal said at the meeting.
While Eknath Shinde had his heart on 16 Lok Sabha seats and managed to bargain for 15, the Ajit Pawar faction was trying to push for 9-10 seats but instead got only four and one seat that was left from their quota for Mahadev Jankar of Rashtriya Samaj Paksha.
“Whatever tussle happened during the Lok Sabha (polls), but we have to now avoid that condition getting repeated during the Vidhan Sabha. They should not tell us that since you have only 50 MLAs, you’ll get only those many. So you (Ajit Pawar) have to tell them (the BJP) that we should get what they had promised us while joining,” Bhujbal said.
Bhujbal’s concern was addressed by both Ajit Pawar and another senior leader Praful Patel.
“We will get what we have been promised. It is all of our responsibility. We will in fact get more seats,” Patel said in response.
Ajit Pawar also sought to allay the concerns of Bhujbal and all NCP workers, saying that their concern was understandable. “But you don’t need to worry because when we sit down to discuss seat sharing, all party workers, leaders will be respected.”
Deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra, however, took a cautious approach. “Seniors will sit down and discuss seat sharing. Since the BJP is a larger party, it is natural that it will get more seats. However, allies will be properly represented,” he told the media.
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Bhujbal’s objections
Bhujbal, a senior OBC leader from Yeola, Nashik, has been vocal against party lines for quite some time now. Be it the objection to Marathas getting Kunbi certificates to getting upset on how the Nashik Lok Sabha seat fell into Shiv Sena’s kitty when he was keen on contesting the seat, Bhujbal has made his objections pretty loud and clear.
For a long time, Shinde was not letting go of Nashik while the BJP and the NCP wanted it for Bhujbal. Although keen on contesting, Bhujbal had to let go his claim on the seat and it fell in the Sena’s kitty.
At the NCP meeting, Bhujbal said that the Dalits were angry because of BJP’s 400 seat-plus slogan. “Because of the slogan, the Opposition campaigned that the Constitution will be changed. This has made the Dalit community angry. And while this was getting settled, now a new discussion around Manusmriti has come up. And this can affect us in the assembly elections,” he said.
“We have joined the government as a party that believes in Shahu, Phule, Ambedkar ideology. And so inclusion of Manusmriti in school textbooks will never be tolerated. Till the time we are in the government, we will not let Manusmriti be taught in schools,” Bhujbal said sternly.
To this, Ajit Pawar tried to pacify him and said that he had made clear to the BJP high command that they were joining the government to take Maharashtra and country on the path of development “We are a party that believes in the ideology of Shahu Phule Ambedkar. And we will never compromise on that at any cost.”
Preparations for Assembly elections
Further, Ajit addressed party workers and asked them to start preparing for the state polls irrespective of the Lok Sabha results. “Workers of the party are its backbone, and they should not be arrogant in victory nor upset due to loss.”
The upcoming 10 June will be the 25th anniversary of the NCP and for that, “we have to implement various programs in all districts,” he said.
Going back into history, Ajit also said that if Sharad Pawar had decided to make an NCP leader a chief minister in 2004, then in subsequent elections, the NCP CM would have remained in power.
“In 2004, I was not interested in becoming CM, at least then, but I thought someone like Bhujbal could have been made the CM. But senior Pawar didn’t do that,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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