Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece cautions Sharad Pawar against NCP merger, says it could damage his political legacy

Amid speculations of merger talks between the two rival NCP factions that extended close to two weeks, Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' warned Sharad Pawar against compromising the principles he has upheld over decades by engaging with a faction that “grovels at the BJP’s feet”.

In an editorial titled 'Let's play the merger game', the newspaper questioned the political wisdom of the NCP (SP) engaging in merger discussions with the rival faction led by deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, particularly when Sharad Pawar's party is an alliance partner of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the INDIA bloc.

The editorial came a day after Saamana editor and Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut visited the Maharashtra Congress headquarters and attended an event organised to mark the 137th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister and former Congress president.

‘Credibility’ warning for Sharad Pawar

It argued that merger discussions could undermine Pawar's political credibility and ideological standing, given the rival faction's association with the BJP.

"At a time when Sharad Pawar's party is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the INDIA bloc, entertaining such discussions is damaging to his political image," it stated.

The editorial said Pawar should not allow the merger exercise to damage the political legacy he had built over decades by upholding the ideals of Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Yashwantrao Chavan.

"It does not befit Maharashtra's political traditions for Sharad Pawar to sit across the table with a faction that shamelessly grovels at the BJP's feet, thereby creating an atmosphere of confusion and suspicion in the state," it suggested.

NCP (SP) is the third MVA constituent, and Pawar was the architect of the three-party alliance in the state, formed in 2019 after the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Cautions senior NCP (SP) leaders

It also cautioned senior NCP (SP) leaders, including Sule, former Maharashtra president Jayant Patil and current state chief Shashikant Shinde, against getting carried away by the merger discussions.

“There may be two or four people in Sharad Pawar's party who are desperately hankering after ministerial positions. But it would be wrong for Sharad Pawar to compromise the principles he has upheld throughout his long political career merely to accommodate such individuals,” the editorial said.

The newspaper further questioned the rationale behind the proposed merger, asking, “Who will merge with whom?” It said the NCP (SP), which is part of the opposition alliance, should be wary of entering into an arrangement with a faction that it accused of unquestioningly following the BJP's political line.

Swipe at Sunetra Pawar-led NCP faction

Turning its attention to the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP faction, the Saamana editorial accused senior party leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare of repeatedly changing their position on the merger.

It pointed out that while they had earlier maintained that Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar had never discussed a merger, they were now claiming that Ajit Pawar was keen on bringing the two factions together and that the merger would have happened had he been alive.

“Such remarks are nothing but sheer opportunism,” it said while referring to Tatkare's flip-flop over merger talks. The editorial alleged that after splitting Sharad Pawar's party, Ajit Pawar, Patel and Tatkare had joined hands with Amit Shah and entered the BJP-led government, abandoning their ideological commitments in the pursuit of power. It further claimed that Ajit Pawar had subsequently begun to feel suffocated within the BJP-led government and wanted to reconsider his political course, but Patel and Tatkare opposed the move and created hurdles in the merger process.

It also took a swipe at Patel and Tatkare over the emergence of Parth Pawar as an influential figure in the party following Sunetra Pawar's elevation as national president.

“Patel and Tatkare consider Amit Shah their leader, but Parth Pawar is now the leader of the NCP. What are they supposed to do?” it asked, indicating why both the NCP leaders are now in favour of a merger.

Dig at Maharashtra CM

The newspaper also took a dig at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for saying that he would have to be consulted on the merger, with the editorial sarcastically referring to his claim that he was playing the role of a 'panch' (umpire). It said the number of players entering the merger game was increasing by the day, making the exercise increasingly chaotic.

While Sunetra Pawar had said that the outcome would be known at the appropriate time and Sule had declared that the merger episode was over, the editorial questioned why those involved were unwilling to accept Sule's position.

“The merger game is becoming increasingly farcical with each passing day,” it concluded.