Sharad
Pawar, undoubtedly, is among those few politicians in India who needs no
introduction. These days people have started referring to him as ‘Saheb’ which
indeed is a well-deserved title. He has been there, done that and seen it all.
His ability to be all things to all people across political spectrum and to
twist and turn things as per his convenience is only because he understands the
intricacies of politics.
Recently the
social media is flooded with posts talking both for and against him, thus
creating good number of controversies. While some are being charged for
criminal offences, others have received flak from his supporters. Of course, no
civilized individual will agree to the text that is doing rounds against him on
the social media. And taking cue from this, several so-called scholars and
intelligentsia poured in their thoughts on how this is maligning Maharashtra’s
tradition of maintaining civility, culture and liberalism, especially in
Maharashtra’s politics. It thus becomes pertinent for one to go back in time
and recall instances where Saheb himself has indulged in statements that were
not just derogatory but have marred the liberal political tradition in
Maharashtra.
Whether in
Mumbai or Delhi, whether within or outside Congress, whether with or without
the Gandhi's, Maharashtra has witnessed all the twists and turns that Sharad
Pawar has taken in his career since 1967. No matter the ups and downs in his
journey, it is commendable how Pawar has maintained and retained his special
place. We often come across senior journalists who claim that Pawar, like his
mentor Yashwantrao Chawan, maintains civility, liberalism and culture in
politics. Also, those who have closely observed him, cite references of his way
of handling things. For instance – during 1994-95 the former deputy municipal
commissioner GR Khairnar had engaged in an open battle with Sharad Pawar when he
was the chief minister. Khairnar had accused Pawar of shielding the criminals.
In response to Khairnar’s drive, Pawar’s supporters had resorted to personal
criticism beyond limits. Pawar had, at that time, slammed his supporters.
Pawar’s
importance in Maharashtra politics has grown in the last two decades.
Maharashtra has witnessed a completely changed facet of his personality. It may
be recalled that the sugarcane growing farmers were agitated as they were not
getting price for their produce. Raju Shetty and Sadabhau Khot of the
Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana had staged agitations to ensure that the farmers
get a decent price. This agitation had spread across in south Maharashtra. The
farmers had taken to the streets in protest. As a result, the sugar factories
had to shut down. At that time Sharad Pawar had publicly stated – “I do not
know who this Raju Shetty is and where does he come from? I wonder which
community he belongs to? It is surprising that when other factories are
shutting down how come factory like ‘Warna’, which falls in his constituency,
is still operational at full capacity? Which community does Warna’s Kore and
Shetty belong to? First, he must shut down the factories in his vicinity and
then go-ahead shutting factories across the state.”
Pawar’s
intention in doing so was to divert people’s attention from the main cause to
religion-based politics as Raju Shetty and Vinay Kore of Warna factory belonged
to the same community. And hence he wanted to prove how Shetty was ensuring
that Kore’s Warna does not shut down. As expected, Pawar’s statement did cause
a stir in those days. Leaders of the farmers’ associations also alleged that
Pawar was creating a divide among sugarcane producers on the basis of caste and
community. Even after such reactions, it was expected that Pawar would come up
with some clarification, at least some statement saying ‘my statement has been
misinterpreted’. But no, he continued to remain silent on the topic.
In this
entire incident, what was objectionable was the mention of Shetty’s community.
He could have been from any community, as long as he was a sugarcane growing
farmer, he had every right to participate in the agitation. But according to
Pawar, only because Shetty belonged to a particular community, he did not have
the right to lead the farmers’ movement. Of course, Shetty belonged to a
minority Jain community whereas the majority of the farmers belonged to the
Maratha community and they had stood behind Shetty. And this was bothering
Pawar which is why he dragged Shetty’s community to vent out his frustration.
Also
recently, i.e., six years ago, after Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur was
appointed to the Rajya Sabha, Saheb had quipped – “Earlier Chhatrapati used to
appoint Peshwas, but now Peshwas are appointing Chhatrapati”. This remark was
not just racist but disgusting. Pawar expressed his indignation over
Chhatrapati’s appointment in this manner. Actually, he wanted to hint – ‘Now
Brahmins will once again gain power’. Even at that time the so-called intelligentsia
and journalists opted to remain silent on Pawar’s casteist remarks.
People who
closely follow politics will recall how during the campaigning for the Assembly
elections of both 1990 and 1995, Pawar used to say – “Joshis and Mahajans, what
would they know about agriculture? Do they even know where groundnuts are
grown?” Also, when he realized that a new leadership was emerging in rural
Maharashtra, he had set aside his cultured and liberal stance and began making
casteist remarks. Even if the intellectuals of today claim that Pawar has
always maintained civility and liberalism in politics, they tend to
conveniently forget how Pawar has on several occasions literally buried
political civility, liberalism and culture. Anyway, let bygones be bygones.
Also, another
instance that flashes in the mind is the Bhima Koregaon incident, where
immediately the next morning, Pawar had called for a press conference where he
had blamed the pro-Hindu forces for the incident. But now, when he was summoned
to appear before the investigating committee, he conveniently said that he knew
nothing about it. One needs to evaluate this personality trait of Saheb.
The reason
for citing these instances is the recent episode of criticism being levelled
against Sharad Pawar on social media which has caused a stir in the state
despite police initiating necessary action. Of course, the language used on the
social media against a senior leader like Sharad Pawar is indeed reprehensible.
But one must not forget that it has always been Sharad Pawar, who has rampantly
passed racist remarks to boost his political gains. This was equally
objectionable, isn’t it?
The police
registered crimes against Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale for sharing
objectionable text criticizing Pawar on the social media whereas in another
instance criminal offences were registered against Gunratna Sadavarte for
carrying out an agitation at Pawar’s residence. In both these cases, both
Chitale and Sadavarte might have committed a mistake, or may be a crime. But
initiating criminal proceedings against them in this manner at so many
different places is definitely vindictive.
Had Pawar,
who remained silent in the Anil Deshmukh and his Rs 100 crore ransom case or
during the arrest of Nawab Malik in connection with underworld don Dawood’s
land case, stopped the actions against Chitale and Sadavarte, the respect for
him in the minds of people would have increased manifold. This could be his
style of setting new standards. Even those, who have seen and experienced the
cultured side of Sharad Pawar, chose not to speak even at this juncture after
seeing this facet of him.
In a
nutshell, Sharad Pawar, aka Saheb, has with his clout and craftiness ensured
continuing relevance. He always comes across as a completely different
personality, his mercurial ability to keep everyone guessing distinguishes him
from what he was in the past to what he is in the present.
(Pre-Published in
Times of India, 31 May 2022)
-
Keshav
Upadhye, Chief spokesperson
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