Maharashtra: Amid a pandemic, the Pawar family political soap opera takes centre stage

MUMBAI: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, an unfolding drama at one of the most prominent political families in Maharashtra is attracting much attention.

Parth Pawar, the elder son of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, is at the centre of the latest of a series of developments indicating an increasing rift between Ajit and his uncle, family patriarch and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar. While Ajit has not said anything openly after Sharad Pawar's public outburst against Parth this week, he is said to be upset over the incident.

Parth's recent actions have embarrassed the NCP, which is sharing power in the state with the Shiv Sena and Congress. He gave a memorandum to home minister Anil Deshmukh demanding a CBI probe into the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. His move suggested he had no confidence in the police force working under a minister of his own party. He has also put the party in a spot of bother by hailing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Sharad Pawar on Wednesday called his grandnephew "immature" and said: "We would not even spare a penny for what he is saying." This was notable because Pawar seldom loses his cool and that too on a family member. For years, the Pawars have been keeping up a united front - during Diwali, the entire Pawar clan assembles at the family home in Baramati. While the family is trying to portray that all is well, the outburst against Parth shows the growing cracks within.

The Ajit camp has been wary that the rest of the family has been trying to cut him down to size. Those loyal to Pawar Sr claim that this has happened because of Ajit's style of functioning, which they termed "my way or the highway".

In 2009, Ajit wanted to become the deputy chief minister but the NCP chief chose Chaggan Bhujbal over him. He got a chance to become the deputy CM in 2010. Here too Sharad Pawar was not keen on giving him the post, but had to climb down after a majority of the NCP MLAs supported Ajit's bid. Matters came to a head in 2012 when Ajit resigned from the Prithviraj Chavan government. Those in NCP said he was angry with his uncle for not putting pressure on the Congress to rein in Chavan, who had raked up the irrigation scam issue. Ajit showed his strength by having several of the NCP ministers resign too, despite Pawar Sr asking them not to.

The entry of Rohit Pawar, another grandnephew of Sharad Pawar, to the political fray and his plan to contest last year's assembly elections from the Karjat Jamkhed constituency - he later won it - was seen by the Ajit camp as an effort to loosen his grip on the party. Ajit decided to launch his son from the Maval Lok Sabha constituency. Parth though lost the election.

According to those close to Parth, he believes he did not get as much help as he should have during the polls from the party and the family. There are now talks that he may take a "big step" in the next few days, though efforts are on to cool down the situation.