Pawar meets Thackeray: Was only cricket on agenda?

The Congress has always been suspicious of NCP leader and Union Minister Sharad Pawar’s political moves. At the time of Lok Sabha elections when there was talk of a split verdict, Pawar was hobnobbing with Congress rivals and did not hide his ambition of occupying the chair of the Prime Minister, if he had the numbers and enough supporting parties.

In fact, even the BJP and Shiv Sena had sent him feelers at the time of Maharashtra assembly polls, to desert the Congress and ally with them. But once the NCP numbers did not add up, he quietly fell in line decided to stay in alliance with the Congress.

But Sharad Pawar’s meeting with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Sunday, ostensibly to discuss the safety of Australian players at the IPL matches in Mumbai, has set the tongues wagging in political circles. Though Pawar’s party maintains that only cricket was discussed, given the wily nature of the NCP leader, Congress circles are not convinced. In the context of the Congress Working Committee attack on the Agriculture Minister for his failure to control prices of essential items and even demands from a section of the party to strip him of his multiple portfolios, it is felt that Pawar was sending a political message.

That is—he has other options if the Congress turns the heart on him and makes him the scapegoat for the high prices of sugar and pulses.

In a clear sign of Congress irritation at Pawar-Thackeray talks, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Monday disapproved of the Union Minister’s step, making it clear that his government was “competent enough” to give adequate security to IPL matches. “I do not think there is need to take permission from any other authority in the State... There cannot be an extra-constitutional authority,” Chavan told reporters. “…The government is competent, it is the authority and there cannot be two authorities in State,” he added.

Reports said Pawar, who is also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, requested Thackeray to withdraw his threat against Australian cricketers’ participation in the IPL cricket tourney.

Chavan, however, refused to comment on why. Pawar met Thackeray on the issue, indirectly giving it a political colour. “Don’t ask me. It will be better you ask Pawar, who is a senior leader, about his motive behind meeting Thackeray,” Chavan said adding that a “democratically elected” government will perform its duty “as expected.”

In a strong message to the Shiv Sena, the Chief Minister said all security will be provided and “any body who will try to take law in hands, try to perpetrate any violent incident, state government will take stern view and initiate legal action.”

To a question on VHP threatening to hold the release of Sharukh Khan’s latest movie My Name is Khan, on Feb 12 Chavan said “nobody can take law in hands. We will take action if somebody is giving such threats. Law will take its course, let them say whatever they want.” “I will also go to see the movie along with my family members,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NCP on Monday justified its chief’s discussion with Thackeray contending that in a democracy dialogue and discussion are important. NCP spokesman D.P. Tripathi said Pawar had met Thackeray along with BCCI chief Shashank Manohar to convince the Sena supremo about holding of the IPL matches in Mumbai and there was no political import to the meeting.

Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray were also present at the two-hour meeting.At the same time he agreed with Chavan that there was no extra-constitutional authority. Tripathi also insisted that persuasion is far more important than coercion in a democratic state.

The Shiv Sena on Monday said it would take a final call on the issue of allowing IPL ties in Mumbai in two-three days. “For me, the country is more important than the game,” Saamana quoted Thackeray as telling Mr. Pawar. “I will never tolerate India’s insult,” the Sena supremo said.

“We told Balasaheb that the Australian team will not participate in the IPL, but each IPL team will have one or two Australians,” Manohar had said last night after the meeting. “He asked us to give a presentation on how many Australian players will play in the IPL. We will make the presentation in a day or two,” Manohar had said.

“We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches it’s the State players (Marathi players) who will lose ultimately,” he had told reporters.

Shahrukh tired of it all

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has said he was tired of being under the Shiv Sena scanner for his stand on Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and says now he is hoping that all ends well.

“(I) hope all turns out well. Hate altercations and misunderstandings — tired of interpretations of this whole undesired and sad affair,” Shah Rukh posted on Twitter. Shah Rukh, who owns IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, had been facing the ire of the Shiv Sena for his comments favouring the inclusion of Pakistani players in the third season of the IPL.

The Shiv Sena sought a public apology from the star and threatened to ban his films in Mumbai, starting with the much-awaited My Name Is Khan slated to release on Friday.

But the issue sorted out when Sena leaders unofficially retracted from having issued any such diktat to ban the movie and it is expected that it may be released without any problems now.

Shah Rukh said he had been “misunderstood” on that issue. “I don’t think I have ever said anything anti-national or non-Indian. I need not explain my Indianness to anybody. I have only said what every Indian should. I stand by what I have said. I think there’s a bit of agenda and politics in all this,” Shah Rukh had told reporters.

- Asian Tribune -