Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), had aspirations of becoming the linchpin of opposition unity by serving as the convenor of the INDIA alliance. However, his ambitions have suffered a significant blow as the Congress brought the Adani issue to the forefront of national politics on Thursday.
Pawar had been striving to position himself as the unifying force for the diverse opposition groups across India. He enjoys strong personal relationships with numerous leaders from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir and Gujarat to Meghalaya. Since most parties in the INDIA alliance had been political adversaries of the Congress at some point in the past, Pawar seemed well-placed to emerge as the most widely accepted leader of the alliance.
Nevertheless, his prospects for this role have been seriously undermined after Rahul Gandhi raised the Adani issue during a press conference on Thursday.
Pawar’s Close Association with Adani
Pawar maintains close ties with the business magnate Adani and even defended him when the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe was initially raised following the release of the Hindenburg report on the business conglomerate earlier this year.
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