Has Sharad Pawar dropped hint on NCP's future, indicated he might not toe party line?

In a politically volatile situation, when the situation is in a flux, we all tend to read between the lines. And then there are lines that drop enough hints. This could be the one by Sharad Pawar.

Sharad Pawar resigned as president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on May 2, sending shockwaves across the country. He made the announcement while giving a speech at the Yashwantrao Chavan Foundation in Mumbai.

Supporters wailed and political pundits put their thinking caps on.

In what could be one of the most important messages conveyed in his speech, Sharad Pawar indicated that he might not toe the party line while serving as a Rajya Sabha member.

"I have three years left of Rajya Sabha membership in Parliament, during which I will focus on issues related to Maharashtra and India, with a caveat of not taking any responsibility," said Pawar. He said his resignation does not mean that he is stepping down from public life.

The line in his speech leaves scope for the veteran Maharashtra politician to express disagreement with the party he founded over two decades ago.

Pawar's resignation came 13 days after NCP leader and his daughter Supriya Sule said that there would be two political earthquakes in 15 days.

WHAT COULD HIS SPEECH MEAN?

His resignation as the party chief was announced amid rumours of Ajit Pawar joining hands with the BJP. Now, Sharad's speech could give us a possible hint on the NCP's future.

Days before Sharad Pawar's resignation, sources told India Today that almost 34 out of 53 Opposition MLAs had internally supported Ajit Pawar's intention to join hands with the BJP and be part of the BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra.

The MLAs were keen on joining the coalition as it might give them relief from central agencies as many Opposition leaders, including Ajit Pawar and his family, Praful Patel, and Hasan Mushreef, are facing Enforcement Directorate heat, the sources said.

Now, there is talk that Sharad Pawar has been unhappy with the way party leaders have been increasing the pressure to align with the BJP to avoid action against them by central agencies.

Sources told India Today that the line in Sharad Pawar's speech where he said that he would focus on issues "with a caveat of not taking any responsibility" was included so he could express his disagreement if the NCP joined hands with the BJP.

PROTESTS OVER HIS RESIGNATION

Sharad Pawar's resignation came as a shock among his party members, with many leaders asking him to reconsider his decision. After Pawar made the statement during the event in Mumbai, several party workers and supporters said they would not leave the venue unless he took back his decision.

Senior NCP leader Jayant Patil broke down during the event. "We would not accept his decision. Without him, how can we go to public?" said Patil, with tears in his eyes.

Not even 24 hours after Sharad Pawar's resignation, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad resigned from his post as the party's National General Secretary on Wednesday. Many more office bearers have also resigned along with Awhad.

Another party worker, Sandeep Kale wrote a letter to Sharad Pawar in his blood saying his resignation has "orphaned" the party members.

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