The sudden death of his nephew Ajit Pawar in a plane crash has energized his uncle Sharad Pawar. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has been more active and visible these days, especially after the late Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, was sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and leader of her husband’s NCP faction.
Sharad Pawar has held several press conferences, including one in which he expressed displeasure that he was not consulted before Sunetra Pawar agreed to replace her husband in the BJP-led state government in Maharashtra. This comment on family matters is unusual for someone who prefers not to discuss personal issues. He has also been touring and meeting people, especially in Baramati, the Pawar family stronghold where Zilla Parishad elections are approaching. This is a stark contrast to the semi-retired life he led before the family tragedy. At that time, he rarely ventured out, did not address public meetings, and kept away from the media. Those who know Sharad Pawar believe that through this increased visibility and activity, he is sending a political message to both the NCP and the BJP that he and the party he founded after leaving the Congress in 1999 should not be overlooked due to his age and health. He is 85 years old and is in poor health. However, it appears he is trying to convey that he still has many years of political life left in him. However, no one is entirely sure what he is planning. Sharad Pawar has always been mysterious. But with the BJP threatening to usurp his legacy, he seems determined to make a last-ditch effort to preserve it for his family. The coming weeks will reveal whether he still possesses the shrewd political acumen that made him such a formidable leader in Maharashtra.
Mamata Banerjee has not lost her flair
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to don the black robes of a lawyer and personally argue her government’s petition against the Election Commission’s controversial SIR practice in the Supreme Court came as no surprise to those who have followed her political career. A lawyer by profession, she spent her early years in politics working as a lawyer in West Bengal’s district courts, fighting cases against the ruling Left Front government, and she proved quite successful, winning several of them. For example, in one case, she managed to secure bail for 41 people arrested by the then-Jyoti Basu-led government. She last appeared as a lawyer in the Bankshall Court in 2003. Although she established herself as a street fighter, she deftly blended street politics with legal battles against the Left Front. It has been a while since she last argued in court, but her performance in the Supreme Court proved that she hasn’t lost her flair. Although technically, she was appearing as a petitioner-in-person and not as a lawyer, her arguments were very well crafted. She not only presented legal points but also managed to include a political one, accusing the Election Commission of acting at the behest of the BJP government at the Centre. It was interesting that the Supreme Court heard her with due respect. It is even more interesting that her decision to personally fight her government’s case has impressed many in the BJP, with one leader privately praising her “fighting spirit.”
European Union chief Antonio Costa is originally from Goa
Very few people know that European Union chief Antonio Costa is originally from Goa, before he moved to Portugal. Because of his Goan origins, he holds an Overseas Citizen of India card, which he recently displayed when he visited New Delhi with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to finalize the “largest” trade deal between the EU and India. Costa became President of Portugal when he moved to that country under a special rule that grants citizenship to all Goans if they wish. Of course, he had to give up his Indian citizenship to become a Portuguese citizen. When Costa previously visited India as President of Portugal, he also displayed his OCI to confirm the close ties between the country of his birth and the country of which he is a naturalized citizen.
