Faction fight 2.0 intensifies

The coup in the NCP lacks the drama of the Shiv Sena mutiny before the government formation last June however the fight over the party and its symbol follows the same template Hours after NCP boss Sharad Pawar initiated the disqualification action against the nine rebel MLAs the Ajit Pawar faction removed state party chief Jayant Patil and installed Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare On Monday Sunil and Praful Patel were dismissed from the NCP for antiparty activities ldquoby facilitating the oath of nine rebel MLAs as cabinet ministersrdquoSharad Pawar sacked Sunil and Praful Patel from the party a day after they attended the swearingin ceremony where the defectors were inducted into the cabinet of the Eknath Shinde SenaBJP government Sunilrsquos daughter Aditi Tatkare was among the nine MLAs who jumped ship on SundayPraful who was dismissed as the national working president of the NCP announced Sunilrsquos accession to the state party president post on Monday eveninglsquoSacking not legalrsquoStrategists in the Ajit camp said the right to remove Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare was held exclusively by the national executive of the party that had appointed them ldquoThe national executive will have to be convened again and a resolution passed to remove them The announcement by Sharad Pawar has no legal standingrdquo said a leader adding that Patel being the national president had every legal right to remove Jayant Patil from the state unitNCP president Jayant Patil at the NCP office on Monday PicSayyed Sameer AbediThe line of confrontation was clearly marked with Sharad Pawar challenging his nephew Ajit to gather the number of MLAs who could save him from the antidefection law Sources said that Ajit has submitted to the governor a list of 40 MLAs out of the 53 on his side However Sule said the real picture will become apparent later this week Both factions have convened a meeting of their respective MLAs on July 5 in the cityEarlier in the day Jayant Patil served the disqualification notices to the nine rebel MLAs who joined the Shinde SenaBJP government on SundaymdashAjit Pawar Chhagan Bhujbal Hasan Mushrif Dhananjay Munde Dilip WalsePatil Dharmarao Baba Atram Aditi Tatkare Anil Patil and Sanjay BansodeDisqualification pleasThe disqualification matter has reached Speaker Rahul Narvekar who said ldquoI will read the petition filed by Jayant carefully I will study the points mentioned and take appropriate action on the petitionrdquo Ajit as the leader of NCP legislature party has also petitioned Narvekar to disqualify Awhad and Jayant Patil for antiparty activities On Sunday the Ajit faction had claimed they were the real NCPSunil Tatkare Praful Patel File picsAshish RanePraful Patel said the Assembly speaker was informed about the appointment of Ajit as the leader of the legislative party and Anil Patil as the chief whip The Sharad Pawar faction has appointed Jitendra Awhad as the Opposition leader and chief whipldquoSunil has been given a letter and authorised to make appointmentsrdquo said Praful Patel adding that the party was ready to march forward under the leadership of Ajit Praful Patel continues to be the partyrsquos national president while no action has been initiated against the other working president Supriya Sule As per the Ajit faction Sharad Pawar continues to be the national president of the NCPNot my blessing NCP bossSharad Pawar on Monday rejected suggestions that the rebellion by his nephew Ajit now a deputy chief minister had his blessings as he displayed a show of strength to assert authority over the party that is battling its worst crisisldquoIt is a mean thing to say Only those with a mean and low intellect can say this I have set out on a tour of the state and galvanise the cadre They should not feel disillusioned with what some leaders have donerdquo he said at a press conference in Satara districtSeparately addressing NCP workers and supporters the 82yearold politician said ldquoAttempts are being made to create communal divide in Maharashtra and the country We need to fight forces that create fear among peaceloving citizens We need to protect democracy in the countryldquoThe objective behind this is to take the countryrsquos affairs ahead with the help of these communal ideologies and the same tendency took the same approach to turn things upside down in the stateUnfortunately some of our colleagues fell prey to these tacticsrdquo the former Union minister who cofounded the NCP in 1999 after leaving the Congress addedlsquoCanrsquot be angry with AjitrsquoAddressing a press conference NCP leader Supriya Sule said her father Sharad Pawarrsquos stature will rise further ldquoOur credibility will only rise after this Also I can never have a fight with my brother I am boring steady and not mpulsiveEmotional relationships and professional work are two different things I will never mix the twordquo she saidlsquoClueless about Ajitrsquos moversquoNCP MLA Rohit Pawar the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar on Monday claimed senior leaders had an inkling of BJPrsquos ldquointentionrdquo to break the party but wersquore clueless about Ajitrsquos swift move to join hands with the ruling alliance ldquoHowever going by all these developments we wonder whether people like me made a mistake by joining politicsrdquo said Rohit the grandson of Sharad Pawarrsquos elder brother Appasaheb PawarldquoHe Ajit Pawar has helped me in his personal capacity also However politically we all are with party chief Sharad Pawarrdquo he told reporters in Pune If put to test Sharad Pawar will have a larger acceptance as the leader of people he added Later speaking in Satara he said the rebel NCP MLAs were the ones who used to constantly criticise CM ShindeldquoThose who used to attack the ruling dispensation with taunts of lsquopannas khoke ekdum okrsquo have now joined the state government What happened with the Shiv Sena and NCP can take place in the Congress as wellrdquo he said while talking about the splitShinde along with 39 Shiv Sena MLAs had rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in June last year leading to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government They were taken to Surat in Gujarat then to Guwahati in Assam and then to Goa The Congress NCP and Uddhav faction had claimed these rebel MLAs had taken R50 crore each pannas khoke to defect and join hands with the BJPWith inputs from agenciesJuly 5Day both NCP factions will hold respective meeting