Charting a separate path from the INDIA bloc again, the NCP (SP) has decided to be a part of the Joint Committee of Parliament set up to discuss the three Bills which propose automatic disqualification of ministers, including the Prime Minister, if they have been in jail for a consecutive 30 days on serious charges.
The NCP (SP) insists that not much be read into the decision, and that it is in line with party supremo Sharad Pawar taking an independent line on issues. However, ahead of the Bihar elections, a division within the ranks is hardly the message the Opposition wants to send.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said their party was clear on its opposition to the Bills, and saw the Joint Committee of Parliament as a forum to put forward its views.
“I got a call from (Union minister) Kiren Rijiju asking if our party will be a part of the House panel. I discussed it with Sharad Pawar Saheb and we agreed,” the NCP (SP) working president said.
Sule added: “The Congress hasn’t contacted us and there has been no discussion on whether to be a part of the committee or not. The Congress hasn’t contacted me, Pawar Saheb or any other person from our party regarding being associated with the House panel on the Bills. So there is no question of having any differences.”
The Trinamool Congress, several of whose leaders and ministers are under the scanner of Central agencies, was the first INDIA bloc party to announce that it would not be a part of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the three Bills – Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill; Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill; and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, which were passed on the last day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party, which is also facing several probes, had joined the TMC and announced they would not join the House panel either.
However, the Left parties were initially in favour of joining the House panel, and the Congress stalled taking a stand on the matter. The Indian Express reported last week that the option of setting up a panel comprising the NDA and smaller parties was being considered, in case the main Opposition stayed away. However, there is no precedent of the same.
The NCP (SP)’s argument is that Sharad Pawar has always maintained that being a part of INDIA did not stop it from having an independent view on issues, and that staying away from the Joint Committee of Parliament served little purpose. NCP (SP) leaders add that the party itself has little to lose as Maharashtra elections are still far away. Rather, taking a strong stand bolsters Pawar’s image as a man in control.
A state NCP (SP) leader said: “All national issues are decided by Pawarsaheb. All I know is that we have nothing to fear as nobody from our party (is looking at jail time).” Plus, the leader added, a solid case had already been made against the three legislation.
Earlier issues on which the NCP (SP) has taken a stand contrary to the INDIA bloc include when the alliance called for a special Parliament session to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Pawar’s stand was that on issues related to national security, everyone should stand together, overriding politics and party lines.
Last year, the Congress’s demand for a House panel to discuss allegations regarding the Adani Group had also been opposed by the NCP (SP). “If you have a JPC, there will be 15 members from the ruling party and five from the Opposition. How will you bring the truth out?” Pawar said. A better option, he suggested, was having a Supreme Court-monitored panel.
Pawar had also played down the allegations against Adani, saying that “out of proportion importance was given to the issue”.
On a personal level too, the NCP (SP) supremo maintains cordial relations across the board, including with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite their fierce and bitter campaigns against each other during elections.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pawar had wanted to host then Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena and two deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (Shiv Sena) during their visit to his region of Baramati. To the INDIA bloc’s relief, the other side developed cold feet at the last minute, with all three pulling out from the lunch, citing prior commitments.
Pawar has also publicly disagreed with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his harsh criticism of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who remains popular in Maharashtra.