Parth Pawar on Monday drew criticism from several quarters for his tweet welcoming the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Calling it a cultural victory, Pawar had tweeted that the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir will remain etched as the ‘civilisational awakening of Bharat’.
Today is a historic day. Bhoomipoojan at Ayodhya today will be etched as civilisational awakening for Bharat. However, we need to steadfastly safeguard the secular fabric of our nation. We need to be gracious in this cultural victory. #JaiShreeRam
— Parth Pawar (@parthajitpawar) August 5, 2020
My thoughts: pic.twitter.com/pxhVyJS8rA
Parth is son of the Maharashtra deputy chief minister and a senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar. NCP is one of the key allies of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, besides Congress and Shiv Sena. Parth took to social media to express his support for the construction of the much-awaited temple and ended his communiqué with the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.
“Finally, Shri Ram, who embodies the faith and cultural identity of India, will be home in peace. The fight was bitter and long. And finally, we as a generation, have arrived at a historic day, when we will witness the reinstallation of the Hindu faith,” he said.
However, Parth was quick to reiterate his commitment to Gandhiji’s Ram Rajya and asked to respect those lost the land in the dispute. He asserted that Ramlalla being given his due reminds one of the Ram Rajya, which “our beloved Bapu” swore by.
“However flawed or weak or irrational the arguments, there was a sentiment attached to Babri Masjid. Let’s respect those who lost. Their arguments and claims have anyway been defeated thoroughly. Let’s move a bit forward and include those who feel they have lost in our victory,” Pawar said in the statement.
However, Parth’s comments on Ram Mandir did ruffle a feathers as the senior NCP leaders came into the defence of the deputy chief minister’s statement on Bhoomi pujan. NCP MP Supriya Sule downplayed her nephew’s remarks, saying Parth spoke in his personal capacity. Another NCP leader said Parth used his personal stationery for the statement.
Parth’s statements on the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir assumes profound significance, as many Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders have been mealy-mouthed about the event that marked the restoration of the temple, almost after 500 years of its conquest.
Besides, last month Parth went against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s avowed stand on Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide case and asked for a CBI inquiry into the mysterious death of the Kai Po Che actor.
Pawar’s maverick opinions have drawn flak from the party and alliance loyalists, who had questioned if everything is fine among the Pawar clan.
Nikhil Wagle, a journalist and Maha Vikas Aghadi government sympathiser was profoundly perturbed by Parth’s demand for a CBI inquiry into the Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide case and his statement on the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir. Wagle wondered if anything is “cooking” in the precarious Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.
I don’t understand why @AjitPawarSpeaks ‘ son Parth is helping BJP. First he demanded CBI probe in #SushantSingRajputDeathCase and wrote a letter congratulating Modi on Ram Mandir bhumipoojan. What’s cooking?
— nikhil wagle (@waglenikhil) August 11, 2020
Parth’s statement also elicited a response from NCP leader and Maharashtra’s Minority Development minister Nawab Malik, who brushed aside Parth’s comments by calling him callow and inexperienced.
पार्थ दादा का ऐसा अपमान, नही सहेगा हिंदुस्तान! ~ पार्थ दादा पवार मित्रमंडळ.@AjitPawarSpeaks @parthajitpawar kab khoon kahulega aap dono ka? pic.twitter.com/Od4VsVmjTn
— आलू बोंडा (@ek_aalu_bonda) August 11, 2020
“Parth Pawar is young, new, he lacks experience, so such things happen. But this will not lead to any differences,” Malik said.
