A guessing game has begun in the Congress circles on NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s “real agenda” over his recent moves. Mr Pawar’s plea to the Prime Minister of reducing his ministerial burden and the NCP’s plan to set up a Secular Democratic Front came at a time when the BJP-led NDA is shrinking while the Congress is not keen on strengthening the UPA after the success in the Lok Sabha elections and its revival in Uttar Pradesh.
“This is a pressure tactic,” “he is bargaining for something,” “where is the scope for another front after the UPA and the NDA?” “he has been running the NCP for over 10 years because of power,” this is what Congress officials say in private conversations, suggesting that the Maratha strongman cannot pose any threat to the Congress Party.
But a section of the AICC does not want to play down these developments. “Why is he playing his card so early, four years before the Lok Sabha elections? Does he want to advance the Assembly elections in Maharashtra? Anyway, Maharashtra and Andhra need to be watched closely,” they say. According to them, Mr Pawar is one of the competent Union ministers who is not only handling three portfolios — agriculture, consumer affairs and food and public distribution — but also trying to expand the NCP outside Maharashtra, Goa and Meghalaya, they said. A senior Congress leader and a CWC member said Mr Pawar told reporters only 50 per cent part of his conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he had requested him to reduce his portfolios.
Mr Pawar is the only leader from the Congress allies who has ambition to become the PM, and that is perhaps the only reason behind why the Congress and the NCP are uncomfortable with each other despite sharing power in Maharashtra for over 10 years and at the Centre since 2004.
The other UPA partners — the DMK, Trinamul Congress and the National Conference — are comfortable in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir.
The NCP supremo is moving cautiously at a time when the Congress has given enough indications that it is not interested in running the UPA after 2014. The Sonia Gandhi-led party is depending on the DMK and the Trinamul Congress because it has been their junior partner in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Congress’ objective is to win over 272 seats on its own in the next Lok Sabha.
On the other hand, the BJP is not emerging as an alternate to the Congress at the national level. It has not been able to retain its allies after two successive defeats in the Lok Sabha elections since 2004. Attempts to make Gujarat CM Narendra Modi the BJP chief ahead of the next general election may isolate the party further, feared a senior NDA leader.