MS Shanker
The cracks in Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government are widening, exposing the fragile nature of this alliance. While the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena stand united over the recent Nagpur riots—where police investigations confirm that elements within the Muslim minority provoked large-scale violence, including the molestation of women cops—Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seems to be playing a different game altogether. Pawar, in a brazen display of political opportunism, attended an Iftar party and audaciously declared that his government would punish provocateurs from the Hindu majority as well. This contradiction is more than just political posturing—it signals a serious rift within the ruling coalition.
The BJP and Shiv Sena command a comfortable majority in the state assembly, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, though numerically advantageous, appears to be at odds with the core agenda of the alliance. If Pawar continues to chart his own course, working against the interests of his own government, it would be no surprise if the BJP and Shiv Sena decide to show him the door.
In the last assembly elections, the BJP came within striking distance of a simple majority, falling short by a mere dozen seats. The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena performed significantly better than Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, reaffirming that it remains more aligned with the Hindutva ideology of party founder Balasaheb Thackeray. Despite initial friction—Shinde was demoted from Chief Minister to Deputy Chief Minister—he has reconciled with this reality, recognizing that his ideological home is with the BJP, not the fragmented opposition.
This ideological clarity was evident when Shinde unequivocally backed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s call for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb—a stance that Ajit Pawar has conspicuously refused to endorse. Instead, Pawar has chosen to signal his loyalty elsewhere, attending an Iftar gathering and making grand proclamations about secularism, implicitly suggesting that his allies in the government lack it. This isn’t just political pandering; it’s a calculated move that raises serious concerns about his commitment to the alliance.
Pawar’s antics come at a time when the state is grappling with serious security threats. Police investigations into the Nagpur riots have not only led to the arrest of 150 rioters but have also unearthed alarming links to handlers in Bangladesh. The situation is so grave that Fadnavis, a native of Nagpur, visited the city and directed law enforcement to take the strictest action against those involved in acts of treason and sedition. His firm stance stands in stark contrast to Ajit Pawar’s appeasement politics.
This unfolding crisis exposes a larger, more dangerous game at play. Ajit Pawar’s political mentor, NCP founder Sharad Pawar, has long faced allegations of links with the underworld, specifically fugitives hiding in Pakistan. Central agencies probing land deals connected to these fugitives have repeatedly uncovered ties to NCP leaders. Given this history, Ajit Pawar’s recent overtures raise serious questions about where his true loyalties lie.
Maharashtra’s crisis is not an isolated event; it is part of a broader destabilization attempt. India has increasingly come under attack from hostile forces seeking to undermine the Modi government. This was evident in the veiled threats issued by Congress leaders after their humiliating loss in the last Lok Sabha elections, hinting at orchestrated unrest similar to what led to the fall of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina government. The Congress-led opposition, driven by minority appeasement politics, has made its strategy clear: divide Hindu society through caste census politics and stoke linguistic tensions to create nationwide unrest.
The big question now is whether the BJP’s central leadership is willing to continue its alliance with a party like the NCP, which appears to be playing a dangerous double game. Can the ruling coalition afford to house elements that indirectly enable anti-national activities, merely for the sake of political arithmetic? With Mumbai—the financial capital of India—at stake, the BJP must decide whether power is worth the price of partnership with a party that flirts with forces seeking to destabilize the nation. The choices made in Maharashtra today will have far-reaching consequences for the country’s political future.
