Mumbai, Apr 12 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s appeal to the electorate to vote for a “Pawar” in Baramati in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, and his uncle Sharad Pawar’s retaliation with an “outsider” comment has fuelled a war of words between the rival NCP camps.
According to political analysts, the remarks made by these two leaders have also brought to the fore the issue of gender bias that is deep-rooted in the society.
The Baramati parliamentary seat, the home turf of the Pawars, is for the first time witnessing two members of the Pawar family locking horns. While Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has given candidature to three-time sitting Baramati MP Supriya Sule.
This is the first major election that two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are facing ever since the party split in July last year after Ajit Pawar rebelled and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.
Sule, who is the only child of Sharad Pawar, is pitted against Sunetra Pawar, wife of her cousin Ajit Pawar. Sunetra Pawar is the ruling Mahayuti candidate, while Sule is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) nominee.
While campaigning in Baramati earlier this week, Ajit Pawar told voters that they elected his uncle Sharad Pawar’s daughter three times, but now they should elect his daughter-in-law.
“…You have been with the Pawars for so long, but now there must be some thought about what to do (in Lok Sabha polls) as there are two candidates from the same family. You must be wondering whom to support, whom to vote for. It is simple, as you have been with the Pawars for so long, just go and vote for (another) Pawar (referring to Sunetra Pawar),” he said.
When asked, Sharad Pawar made light of the remark and said, “What is wrong in what he said. But there is a difference…One is an original Pawar and the other has come from outside.” The remarks brought sharp reactions from both the factions.
NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said, “If Supriya Sule wanted to take political mileage from her maiden surname, she would have called herself Supriya Sharad Pawar Sule. But after her marriage, she never used her Pawar surname.” Sule is seeking votes on her own merit and performance as a three-term MP, he said.
Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission and Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Rupali Chakankar said it was painful to see Sharad Pawar considering his daughter-in-law as an outsider.
“(Sharad) Pawar saheb constituted the women’s commission, unveiled the state’s first women’s policy and we are grateful for that,” she said.
Susieben Shah, the spokesperson of ruling Shiv Sena said, Maharashtra has been blessed with women like social reformer Savitribai Phule, Jijamata, and Ahilyabai Holkar.
“Senior statesman Sharad Pawar should know that daughters-in-law are not outsiders. His statement is shocking and has hurt Maharashtra,” she said.
“In Maharashtra, we don’t discriminate between a daughter and a daughter-in-law. Being a senior statesman, I would not ask him to apologise to Maharashtra. But the least he could do is express regret to his daughter-in-law,” the former state women’s commission chief said.
Talking to PTI, senior journalist and political commentator Rahi Bhide said she disagrees with the comments of both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.
“The issue of gender bias is deep-rooted in the society…Doesn’t Sunetra have an individuality of her own?” Bhide asked, referring to Ajit Pawar’s appeal on voting for the Pawar surname.
She said Sharad Pawar is known to be progressive in his ideology and supports women empowerment. He had unveiled the first women’s policy In 1994 as CM.
“All such comments are made during elections,” she lamented.
Another senior journalist Jatin Desai said patriarchal society doesn’t consider women as equals.
He also said that earlier this month, the Allahabad High Court held that ‘kanyadaan’ is not necessary for solemnisation of marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act.
While campaigning for Sunetra Pawar last month, Chakankar said married women should not interfere in their parents’ home as it would lead to disputes.
NCP (SP) recently released an old video of Sharad Pawar’s interview with noted filmmaker Jabbar Patel in which he was asked about society pressures on having a daughter as the only child.
“I am told that it would have been better if he had a son to carry forward his family name and doors of heaven open if son lights the pyre. But should we worry about what happens after we are gone, or those who behave good when we are alive. I feel if we give equal opportunities to girls and increase their self-confidence, we can get the best out of them,” Pawar replied. PTI MR NP
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