Maha Mess: Pawar comes out in flying colours as hero of the battle

By N Muraleedharan

Thiruvananthapuram 

Pragmatism and sagacity of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar are in full play by the way he smoothly negotiates through the mess thrown up by the assembly polls in Maharashtra.  By refusing to fall prey to the allurement of power, the septuagenarian leader has, by a single stroke, called the bluff of Shiv Sena and steered clear ally Congress of the deep embarrassment of backing a government in which the former is a key partner. The battle-scarred veteran has come out in flying colours as the real hero of the electoral ballot in his home state.

Shiv Sena would not hesitate for a moment to offer the plum share of power in a platter to Pawar, if he agreed to float a coalition government. Considering the course-turning role he played in containing the BJP at the hustings, Congress would not have been in a position to say no to Pawar. However, the long-term damage that would have done to Congress as well as  to the opposition unity would have been incalculable.

If an NCP-Shiv Sena Government is formed, with the outside support of the Congress, that is certain to sent a message across the country that ideology has no place in contemporary politics. The BJP would have leveraged such a scenario to dump the Congress leaders as crass opportunists and their claims of being the torch-bearers of secularism hollow. 

Of course, Congress, as a pluralistic and self-proclaimed inclusive party, is known for its ideological flexibility. Unlike the Left, it is not over-burdened by textbook idealism or contextual strategies and tactical positionings, without diluting the rule book too much. Still, Congress has, so far, largely refrained from directly backing brazenly majoritarian parties, at least openly. 

Shiv Sena  has never minced words about its hard stance on  issue like Ayodhya and Uniform Civil Code. The party has  hit the streets of Mumbai against Pakistani cricket players or gazal singers performing in the city. It had called  its now frayed tie-up with the BJP as ”saffron alliance”, and often taunted the partner for deviating from fundamental issues under compulsions of politics. If Congress propped up a government in which Shiv Sena is a partner, the party will have to face the charge of diluting its secular credentials.  The slur would have remained for ever on its face and that would work to erode the minority confidence in the party in other states. 

Left to itself,  it might not be a big problem to forge ties with Sena, as warranted by a given political context. Essentially, NCP is a Maharashtra-centric party. Its main support base consists of the Maratha community, whose social, cultural and economic interests it has always upheld. As for  Sena, Shivaji is the most revered icon for the NCP as well. For both parties,  the concept of Shivaji is essentially that of  a warrior who had stood up against the Mughal  power, and founded the Maratha confederacy.  Also, many of its middle-rung leaders and cadre had cut their teeth in Sena.  

How could Congress, with its tall claim of being the flag-bearer of secularism and inclusive destiny of the nation, back up a government in which the Sena has  a decisive role ? Maybe, the Congress top brass might reject the charge arguing   ideology   is to be kept aside for a while to keep the BJP at bay. Also, such a move was necessary to save the state from sliding into political uncertainty and save the huge cost of calling fresh elections. Justifications would be there aplenty.  The long-term loss , however, would far outweigh the short-term gains. Suppose the Congress pulls down the government at a moment of its choice after backing it for a while, what guarantee is there that the saffron parties would not regroup.

(N Muraleedharan is a senior journalist and commentator)