Pawar’s politics
The ally trouble that the BJP faces has assumed significant proportions, but similar troubles on the ruling side are also noteworthy. The Congress’ latest trouble from within the UPA comes from the Nationalist Congress Party, led by veteran Maharashtra leader Sharad Pawar, a senior Cabinet minister.
With no apparent reason, Mr Pawar said recently that elections might be held anytime as the Manmohan Singh government had been rendered vulnerable with the DMK leaving the government. This is the language of tricky outside supporters of the government like the Samajwadi Party. The Maharashtra satrap’s observation came at a time when the PM and senior Congress figures had been telling us that polls will be held only when due, and ministers are indeed working hard to get the economy going again.
It is possible Mr Pawar was seeking to deflect attention from the embarrassment his party faces after his nephew and Maharashtra’s deputy CM Ajit Pawar created a political crisis of sorts for his party by his infamous remark on water shortage for dams. It has also been the senior Pawar’s custom to hobnob with non-Congress parties in the run-up to every election, and then go with the winning side. Mr Pawar has also suggested that the UPA should name its PM candidate. Unlike the BJP, however, the Congress follows the Westminster tradition of letting the Leader of the House (PM/CM) be elected by those who have been voted to the House. It almost seems the NCP leader is trying to invent a problem.
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