Shrewd Shah cuts Fadnavis to size
Political drama changes with Shah’s dice
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts Brand Story
The political drama which went on for nearly the last 10 days, had a dramatic and unexpected turn, about which the newly sworn-in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis may not have any idea.
However, Former BJP Presiden and shrewd senior politician Amit Shah threw dice from Delhi and hit many targets at one and the same time. He seems to be successful in his game plan. Shah is a top contender for the post of PM after Narendra Modi. Similarly, Fadnavis is also in the race for the top post.
Both Shah and Fadnavis possess the drive and quality for the prime ministership. Compared to Shah, Fadnavis is much younger. That is the reason Shah has been cutting Fadnavis to size within the party for the last 7 to 8 years.
Shah kept Fadnavis from the chief ministership since 2019. With Uddhav Thackeray taking the reigns of the state in 2019, the BJP and ultimately Fadnvis remained away from the CMship and now Fadnavis has been demoted to the post of the Deputy Chief Minister. This indicates the shrewd machination of Shah to cut the wings of Fadnavis. Basically, Fadnavis is in the good books of the RSS leaders. However, both Modi and Shah don’t bother about Fadnavis’s clout.
As such Fadnavis is depressed and his frustration was visible in his body language during the swearing-in ceremony. However, he is a good actor and normally doesn’t exhibit his despair while facing odds like Sharad Pawar.
His face or body language doesn’t reflect any strain. There had been allegations against Pravin Darekar, the prime accused in the Mumbai Bank scam and legislative council Opposition leader. But during all such attacks, Fadnavis’s acting skill came alive and he emphasized that Darekar was a clean man.
But today Fadnavis is suffocated,.he can’t bear it and also cannot express his agonies. There is a possibility of Fadnavis adopting a “wait and Watch” stand for the time being. He may remain inactive in politics and wait for the right opportunity. Like Sharad Pawar, the possibility of experiencing “As you Sow you shall reap” cannot be denied.
The BMC elections are around the corner. To outwit Shiv Sena controlling the BMC, Shah has taken this step. To seek the sympathy of Shiv Sainiks and pacify them is another aim. However, this game plan is unlikely to succeed because Shiv Sena and Thackeray are synonyms. The Shiv Sainiks will never accept the Shiv Sena without Thackerays.
The possibility of the Shiv Sainiks erasing the blot that the rebels dethroned Balasaheb’s son and he had to lose the chief ministership, from their memory, is very remote.
