This Article is From Oct 21, 2014

Why This Is Modi's "Kejriwal Moment"

(Pawan Khera is a political analyst with the Congress party.)

If there is a weather god in Indian politics, it is Sharad Pawar. Cornered by allegations of corruption in the irrigation scam in Maharashtra and the controversial aircraft acquisition done by Praful Patel as Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Pawar played his cards in a manner no other Indian politician can match.

Having severed his alliance with the Congress just before elections, he maintained a polite tone even while responding to the various insults which Narendra Modi heaped upon him and his family in a rally right on his turf in Baramati. And even before the last vote was counted, Pawar realized that the BJP will be short of a majority and will need to partner with either the Shiv Sena or NCP. He deftly disarmed the Shiv Sena by offering unconditional outside support to the BJP.

In one stroke, he not only weakened the Sena, he also startled the BJP. The latter chose not to immediately reject the offer as it puts them in a stronger position while negotiating with the Sena.

Realpolitik notwithstanding, Pawar has also exposed the BJP. The fact that the BJP has been unable to reject the NCP offer makes their grandstanding holier-than-thou attitude shown during the campaign sound phony now.

Politics is all about timing. If BJP has taken time to reject the offer, they have walked into Pawar's well-laid out trap and lost their moral high ground. In its Parliamentary Party meeting too the BJP has not been able to reject the NCP offer outright. Even if the BJP were to do so after negotiating with the Sena, the moment to prove that BJP under Narendra Modi stands for a different brand of politics is lost.

This is Narendra Modi's Kejriwal moment. Congress was clear in its intention behind offering support to AAP in Delhi to stop the BJP from forming the government. That Arvind Kejriwal accepted the support exposed his double speak and desperation to be in power.

People who make a living out of words should realize that sooner or later, their words will revisit them at the most embarrassing moment.

Sharad Pawar has brought that moment for Narendra Modi.

Narendra Modi must also be realizing the need to start taking the advice of the Marg Darshak Mandal instead of just relegating them to retirement homes- LK Advani had clearly cautioned the party against splitting from the Shiv Sena.

With Amit Shah's strategizing skills becoming a part of popular folk lore in Delhi, he surely over-estimated the Modi wave in Maharashtra and under-rated Sharad Pawar.

By terming NCP the "Naturally Corrupt Party", BJP took the name-calling to a rare low. This acrimonious campaign by the BJP against NCP was matched by an equally acerbic  campaign by the Shiv Sena against BJP.

While Sharad Pawar knows there is no role for personal egos in politics, both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are prisoners of their self-image. Will they be able to break free from that image and break the ice with Uddhav Thackeray?  

Likewise, the Shiv Sena too will find it difficult to make the first move. After giving sleepless nights to both Narendra Modi and Uddhav Thackeray, the only man who will sleep soundly for the next day or two is Sharad Pawar.

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