Mumbai,February 08:Natinolistic Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday diluted the Congress’s “Rahul Gandhi effect” on Mumbai when he met Bal Thackeray at his home — ostensibly praying for the safety of Australian cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Thackeray’s Shiv Sena had enforced an “embargo” on the Aussies in protest against the series of attacks on Indians Down Under.
Pawar, the Union agriculture minister as well as the former chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was with Thackeray for two hours at the latter’s fortified home ‘Matoshree’ in Bandra East.
The “official reason” was to get the Sena supremo’s nod for letting Australian players participate in the IPL. Thackeray had earlier threatened that his party would not allow Australian cricketers to enter Maharashtra.
But Pawar’s one-to-one with Thackeray took away the shine off Congress general secretary Rahul’s visit to Mumbai on Friday when he forced the Sena to eat humble pie. The Congress scion openly defied the Sena’s threat — in the wake of his “ Mumbai- for- all- Indians” remark — by travelling on the city’s local trains. All that the Sena had managed to do then was wave some black flags.
The NCP chief, who is an ally of the Congress in the state as well as the Centre, changed the equation completely.
After the two- hour meeting on Sunday evening, Pawar left Matoshree without speaking to the media.But BCCI chief Shashank Manohar, who accompanied Pawar, was more forthcoming.
He said they had tried to convince the Sena chief that only a couple of Australian cricketers were going to play in each IPL team. “ We told him that if the matches were not scheduled, our cricketers were going to lose out.
Thackeray has asked us to make a detailed presentation, which we will prepare in a couple of days. He will take a decision then,” he said.
Thackeray’s son Uddhav, who is the Sena chief, and Sanjay Raut, the editor of party mouthpiece Saamna , were also present at the meeting.
The Congress is, understandably, not amused. “ Instead of staying firm on the issue, Pawar fell at Thackeray’s feet. His party holds the home portfolio in Maharashtra. He could have made every possible security arrangement for Aussie players and embarrassed the Sena further.
But he chose to cajole Thackeray, especially at a time when the Sena is most vulnerable,” a Congress minister said.
Political observers say there could be more to the meeting between the two old friends.
Even the Congress is beginning to find a pattern in Pawar’s behaviour.