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Sanjay Raut took issue with Sharad Pawar conferring a prestigious award to “traitor” Eknath Shinde, the man responsible for breaking the Shiv Sena and bringing down the MVA government in 2022.
Sanjay Raut has criticised Sharad Pawar’s decision to confer award to Eknath Shinde. (PTI)
The opposition INDIA bloc suffered a major setback after the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) defeat in Delhi, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) successfully managed a comeback in the capital after 27 years. Just when it was picking up the pieces, it received another impending row in Maharashtra.
A rift has emerged between veteran politician Sharad Pawar and the Shiv Sena (UBT) – after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leader upset Uddhav Thackeray’s camp by bestowing an award to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the man responsible for splitting the Shiv Sena and bringing down the MVA government in 2022.
Pawar conferred the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar to Shinde on the occasion of the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Delhi, reported NDTV. This gesture caught the ire of the Shiv Sena (UBT), who called Shinde a “backstabber” who broke the Shiv Sena.
In Uddhav Sena’s first direct attack on Pawar, Raut should not have attended the event, as Shinde toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. “Giving such an honour to someone we consider an enemy of Maharashtra is a jolt to Maharashtra’s pride. Pawar must have thought differently, but such politics has not gone down well with the people of Maharashtra,” Raut said.
“It is not right to give awards to traitors,” he claimed. “Sharad Pawar, you are a senior leader, we respect you. But the Shiv Sena of the late Balasaheb Thackeray was broken by Amit Shah’s colleague, you honour such people, Pawar Saheb, we also understand politics,” observed Raut. He claimed that Pawar has not only felicitated Shinde but also Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
‘Have Good Relations…’: Shinde, Pawar Praise Each Other
During the event, Pawar and Shinde also had good things to say about each other. While Pawar said Shinde was one of the leaders who played a critical role in taking the politics of Thane in the right direction, the deputy CM said he had good relations with the senior Pawar.
Addressing the event, Shinde said Pawar was the son-in-law of former cricketer Sadashiv Shinde. “I have good relations with Pawar, but he has not bowled me a googly. I am confident that he will not bowl me a googly in the future as well,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
He also said he was in contact with Sharad Pawar, praising him for maintaining relations beyond political lines. Pawar also said Shinde did not harbour any animosity towards the opposition and solved the problems of the people.
“Eknath Shinde is one of the leaders in the present day whose name comes first among few others who is well versed with the issues faced by rapid urbanisation,” the senior Pawar said at the event.
However, Raut kept up his attack on the NCP leader, saying, “Sharad Pawar has the wrong information about Thane. Eknath Shinde came late to Thane politics and the deterioration of Thane began thereafter,” he alleged.
Maharashtra’s Ruling Alliance Reacts To Raut’s Remarks
Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the NCP (SP) president has, in a way, endorsed that the Shiv Sena chief did much better work as CM than Uddhav Thackeray. Bawankule said Pawar took time to realise that Thackeray had damaged the state, while Shinde set it on the path of progress.
Reacting to Raut’s remarks, BJP leader Shaina NC said he had “lost his mental balance”. She said, “He will never get any award, therefore, is objecting to it.” Shiv Sena (Shinde) MP Naresh Mhaske also slammed Raut for politicising the situation.
“Who is he to object to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar felicitating Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde?… harad Pawar said that outside Maharashtra we are all united and politics should not be done on Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan,” Mhaske said.
Members of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) also hit back at Raut for his remarks on the veteran leader. Amol Kolhe said Sharad Pawar had set the ideal of statesmanship by remaining present in the programme and that Raut could have been voicing his personal opinion. “He showed statesmanship, where one does not bring politics into everything. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. He is the president of the event (reception committee),” he said.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar said Raut’s reaction is surprising considering that Maharashtra has the tradition of civilised politics of Yashwantrao Chavan and Bal Thackeray and said his hasty response may be due to the BJP’s attempts to muddy the state’s politics and hurt Maharashtra’s pride.
