MUMBAI: The unexpected BJP-Shiv Sena rapprochement has set off alarm bells within the NCP, with leaders facing serious corruption charges fearing CM Devendra Fadnavis will not hesitate to grant permission to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to start probes against them.
“Indeed, alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena is a bad development for the NCP. All proposals pertaining to open probe against NCP leaders are pending on Fadnavis’ table. We will not be surprised if the CM clears all the proposals,” a senior NCP leader said.
The ACB has sought permission for “open inquiry” against then irrigation ministers Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare for their dubious role in granting contracts for major irrigation projects in the Konkan region, against then PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal for irregularities in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and redevelopment of Bandra colony on the state government land, and Harshvardhan Patil for cooperative bank irregularities.
The NCP believed that in view of the sharp differences between BJP and Sena, they will never form the government together and it could maintain an upper hand in state politics by being a deciding factor as long as the BJP remained a minority government. “Then our aim was to marginalize the Shiv Sena, which had secured 63 seats against 42 won by Congress and 41 by the NCP,” the leader said.
So, the party extended unconditional support even before the BJP had staked claim to power after the elections. Subsequently, during the election of the speaker and voting on the confidence motion, NCP acted in a way that would benefit the BJP. But its strategy has failed, and the Sena is steps away from joining the government.
The NCP, however, has put up a brave front. Not only Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal, but even Sharad Pawar has said on several occasions that NCP leaders were prepared for any probe. “Don’t give us just warnings. If the government is serious, it should complete the probe as early as possible,” Ajit Pawar recently said in Pune
