Mumbai, May 8 (IANS): The four-day-long 'resignation' drama of Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar ended, but ruined the Bharatiya Janata Party's plans to break his 24-year-old party, which is an ally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Shiv Sena (UBT) observed here on Monday.
In an editorial in the party's newspapers, 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana', the party said that Pawar's decision to step down as NCP supremo sparked not only panic but created a national political upheaval.
"Pawar is like the mythical banyan tree in politics. He broke away from the Congress, formed, ran and built up the NCP independently. However, he has not prepared the leadership which can take it forward after him and failed to produce a successor," rued the edit.
It recounted the four-days of political palpitations witnessed all over the country, how all NCP workers were trembling and shaken to the core, worried over its future and strongly opposed the move.
Bowing to all-round sentiments, the towering national political leader finally relented and Pawar will continue as the NCP president.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed the BJP which criticised the NCP imbroglio as a 'nautanki', and sarcastically advised that "before accusing others, first they should look at their own Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is known as the world's biggest gimmick".
"The BJP has come up by breaking other parties or homes. They had a plan to break the NCP, just like the Shiv Sena (in 2022). People were ready with their (money) bags and even the 'lodging-boarding' arrangements for the newcomers were completed," claimed the Saamana Group.
However, owing to Pawar's game, the BJP's plan was dumped into the dustbin and its tummy-ache has increased, it noted.
The Saamana Group pointed out how one section in NCP wanted Pawar to take the party into the BJP camp and free his associates from the harassment of the ED, CBI, Income Tax shenanigans, but he put his foot down.
Referring to Pawar's move to appoint a mini-bus committee to nominate his successor, the Saamana Group said it comprised many who were apparently planning to join the BJP.
"The pressures and sentiments of the workers were so strong that the committee had to inform him that thereafter, its only you' (as President), and rejected Pawar's resignation. The curtain fell on the drama. His return brought consciousness back to the NCP, and state and national opposition parties also heave a sigh of relief," said the edits.
The Saamana Group said though Pawar had no choice but to retract, the resignation drama provided him with an idea of where exactly the NCP stands and where are the hearts of those around him, while declaring that "those who want to leave the NCP are free to go, I will not stop them".
Suspecting that the bookings in the BJP's lodging-boarding have not been cancelled, the Saamana Group cautioned that those who go there "will be finished by the people, no matter how big they are".
It cited how the condition of those who split and left to join (Chief Minister Eknath Shinde)'s Shiv Sena is now worse than stray dogs in the bins.
"BJP doesn't want to win elections in a democratic manner, they play the politics of breaking others through ED, CBI, ITa. But, it's better to live like a tiger for one day instead of a goat for 100 days" the edits said.
The Saamana Group pointed out that Pawar has said he will fight till the end, Uddhav Thackeray, Lalu Prasad, K. Chandrashekar Rao, Mamata Banerjee, M. K. Stalin and others have also come out to fight along with their workers.