'In Politics, Anything Can Happen Except Congress & BJP Coming Together': Devendra Fadnavis on the Pawars Switching Sides | Exclusive

In an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami on Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dropped a bombshell on the rare 2019 alliance between BJP and Congress in Maharashtra after the recent local body elections. 

Arnab Goswami pressed the chief minister in the interview on whether Ajit Pawar was acting on behalf of Sharad Pawar, suggesting that Sharad Pawar wanted to keep channels open with the BJP and NDA but had not been able to bring Supriya Sule on board.

Arnab’s central question was whether Ajit Pawar had betrayed Fadnavis, and whether rival camps could eventually come together.

Answering the question, Fadnavis stressed that Sharad Pawar alone decided to switch sides and align with the BJP. He added that it was Sharad Pawar’s choice to join hands with Uddhav Thackeray “to have a better hold on power”, and that only the senior Pawar was privy to his own reasons for the planning and strategy behind the move.

FADNAVIS ON WHY SHARAD PAWAR SWITCHED SIDES

On Sharad Pawar switching sides, Fadnavis said, “But my belief is that as soon as Sonia ji told him that they were ready to go with Uddhav, he felt that a second option had opened.”

“If he went with BJP, then Devendra Fadnavis is a leader here, above him sits Amit Shah, above him sits Modi ji," Fadnavis added.

Fadnavis concluded that Sharad Pawar backed Uddhav Thackeray because he believed that if he went with BJP, “the government will not remain in my hands. So he changed his decision and went with them.”

FADNAVIS ON AJIT PAWAR NOT FOLLOWING SHARAD PAWAR IMMEDIATELY

Fadnavis also elaborated on why he thinks Ajit Pawar did not go with Sharad Pawar and instead chose to remain with the BJP.

“Despite that, Ajit Pawar did not go with them. He came with us. It is another matter that after the Supreme Court’s decision, Ajit Pawar ji had no reason left to stay with us. So after talking, we told him, fine, you go back. Because ultimately, in politics, he must also have an existence. We do not want to make him non-existent. So he went back,” Fadnavis said.

FADNAVIS ON AJIT PAWAR AS A “TROJAN HORSE”

Further in the conversation, Arnab Goswami asked the Maharashtra Chief Minister if he felt that Ajit Pawar was a “Trojan Horse”.

Fadnavis decisively rejected the idea of Ajit Pawar being a Trojan horse. He said, “So in that entire matter, I do not consider Ajit Pawar ji a Trojan horse.”

A trojan horse in political strategy is where a person, group, or idea appears harmless or beneficial but secretly carries an agenda to undermine or take over an institution from within.

Instead Devendra Fadnavis agreed with Arnab in calling Ajit Pawar, “a pawn”.

FADNAVIS DEFENDS AJIT PAWAR

Not only does Fadnavis not blame Ajit Pawar, but he also justified his actions by breaking down Ajit Pawar’s treatment in the NCP. He said, “And the reason Ajit Pawar ji came out of NCP is also that three times, in different ways, he was pushed forward in his party and then deliberately set up to fall flat on his face.”

Fadnavis was clear in how he described Ajit Pawar’s treatment in the NCP: “He was used and thrown. Now look, their relationship is such that it may not be right for me to say, but the situation is the same.”

FADNAVIS’ BIG STATEMENT: “NEVER SAY NEVER…IN POLITICS, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN"

On Arnab Goswami's question, “Can Sharad Pawar keep options open tomorrow? That is also speculation, that Sharad Pawar may want some adjustment to happen," Fadnavis responded, “So much water has flowed in politics that now I understand that never say never. Never say never. In politics, anything can happen.”

He stressed: “Except Congress and BJP coming together, everything is possible in politics”.

Fadnavis was very firm in the conversation when he mentioned, “That is why earlier I used to say it very formally. Once upon a time, I had said very firmly that even if the world turns upside down, we will not go with NCP. But circumstances came such that we had to go with the breakaway NCP.”

“So in politics, time tells what will happen. Yes, ideologically, I know one hundred percent that we will never go with Congress. Apart from that, in today’s situation, we are so strong that we do not need to take Pawar ji’s group or anyone else with us. We are very strong. They have become quite weak. Even so, despite that, nowadays I always speak with a caveat: never say never,” he further said.

This has been one of Fadnavis' most candid interviews in which he cleared the air on most of the doubts around Maharashtra's politics, especially in regards to alliances and future course of action of the BJP.

(Written by Mohini Chandra)

Also Read: 'Maharashtra Local Body Polls Fight Between Party Workers, Won't Have Any Impact On Alliance': Devendra Fadnavis Downplays Mahayuti Cracks