His strong statements without waiting for the results are clear indications that Congress does not have what it needs to win 2014 general elections.
“I will be happy without being a minister. I do not want to join next government.” No this is not Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or serving his jail term RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav. This is ace politician and NCP chief Sharad Pawar who is also union agriculture minister of India.
Pawar, in an exclusive interview to news channel CNN-IBN, declared that he was neither going to be a part of Congress nor any other party, whoever forms the government after 2014 elections. It is worth noting that he has already announced that he will not even contest next Lok Sabha elections.
However, he is not averse to the idea of entering the Parliament via Rajya Sabha. Also, the decision is personal. The NCP will continue to be a part of the UPA.
The next big thing which the senior leader declared was his aversion to the idea of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister or leading Congress after Sonia Gandhi. This is because he considers Rahul Gandhi inexperienced in the political arena. His message was loud and clear when he said that “one has to prove his mettle in administration”.
“I would have only been happy if he had joined Manmohan Singh government. I would have preferred he should have joined government. Definitely that would be beneficial for him,” he further added.
Perhaps he knew that people will quote him throughout the next day so he quickly changed his stance and marked an innocent claim that he “did not know” Rahul Gandhi much as he “had not worked” with him. “I do not know, I have no knowledge. I haven’t seen,” Pawar replied when asked if he felt Rahul lacks the mettle to be an administrator.
But the remarks which came later on were something hard to digest. Pawar claimed that he has met Rahul “only once or twice”.
The ridiculous idea that Pawar wants to push inside common man’s mind is that he does not know the vice president of the party he works with. Moreover, his statements sound hollow when he tries to evade the question on Rahul’s abilities (or inabilities) as an administrator.
The picture which comes clear via his interview is that he is averse to the idea of Rahul becoming Prime Minister in the same manner he was averse to the idea of Sonia Gandhi becoming one. The fact that he created NCP because Sonia’s Italian origin and she leading the country than merely leading Congress was unacceptable to him speaks louder than his meek statements.
What his interview reveals more that he is averse to the idea of a Prime Minister who is ill-mannered and irresponsible in his attitude. Rahul Gandhi’s ordinance episode and his attack on the Prime Minister is what should have triggered the opposition in the veteran leader.
Pawar has never been a “man of Congress”. He always had his own way of dealing with the situations. Being in the government, his public appearances only decreased when the wind of Congress scion started blowing.
A leader of Pawar’s political acumen very well knows who is able to lead the nation or the herd that follows him. By stating that Rahul lacks experience he has also indicated towards the fate that Congress may meet.
His decision of not joining the next government further strengthens the thought that Congress may lose next elections. His analysis that both Congress and BJP will get almost equal votes and that both will have to seek support of regional parties for forming government gives ample hint of that.
Pawar’s politics has always been of hit-and-run kind. His strong statements without waiting for the results are clear indications that Congress does not have what it needs to win 2014 general elections.
