Sharad Pawar: Some steps by central govt have jolted country's unity

In a bid to push for Prime Minister Narendra Modis controversial Citizenship Amendment Act to be repealed former union minister Yashwant Sinha launched a 3000km march from Mumbai to New Delhi on Thursday from the Gateway of India It was flagged off by NCP chief Sharad PawarThe 21day march which will cross five states and culminate at Rajghat in the capital on January 30 mdash the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi mdash was flagged off by none other than Maratha strongman and NCP Chief Sharad PawarA veteran of many battles with over 50 years of public service under his belt Pawar 79 who was written off by the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP in the runup to the recent October state election only to emerge victorious is now taking the battle against the party to the capitalSharad Pawar with Yashwant Sinha at the Gateway of IndiaIn September 2018 the Nationalist Congress Party NCP supremo had found himself in trouble the Enforcement Directorate was hounding him on corruption charges his colleague and trusted companion Praful Patel was in a mess of his own regarding property dealings with deceased gangster Iqbal Mirchi and many of his party leaders tired of sitting in the Opposition were defecting One such example was Udayan Raje Bhosale a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who deserted the NCP just five months after he was elected and joined the BJP But in a moment that will be remembered in times to come as the resurrection of the NCP a rainsoaked Pawar delivered a thunderous speech at Satara while campaigning against Bhosale What he said from the dais resonated tremendously with voters in the region who went on to reject Bhosale and elect the Pawarendorsed Shriniwas PatilThe NCP went on to win 54 seats in the Assembly election and Sharad Pawar became pivotal in brokering a coalition between his party the Shiv Sena and the Indian National Congress mdash all three of which now form the state government under the banner of Maha Vikas AghadiRecently senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said that Pawars name should be considered by all political parties for the post of President scheduled to be held in 2022Support for shanti yatraOther senior leaders such as the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadis Prakash Ambedkar and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan were also present at the Gateway on Thursday morning at the launch of the Gandhi Shanti Yatra by Sinhas nonpolitical outfit the Rashtra Manch It was the same place where antiCAA protesters had held their ground in a peaceful protest for nearly 30 hours since midnight Sunday Standing next to a picture of Mahatma Gandhi Pawar and the other leaders unanimously rejected the CAA National Register of Citizens NRC and National Population Register NPR and demanded that the CAA be rescinded They also demanded a judicial probe into statesponsored violence like at the JNU campus on the night of January 4 and the brutal police force unleashed against students previously at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University as wellAlso present at the event which can metaphorically be looked at as the beginning of Pawars second innings against the BJP was a Trinamool Congress TMC member sent by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself in an act of pledging support to the Gandhi Shanti YatraNeed for awarenessStating that central governments dictatorship needs to be answered with Gandhijis way of nonviolence Pawar said Some steps taken by the central government have given a jolt to the countrys unity Members of some small sections of the society feel their interests are not being protectedThe former union minister noted there are members of several sections of societies including the minorities who cannot tell where they came from and where they will liveThey will be forced to live in some camps detention centres allegedly to be set up by the government The government has left representatives of Independent India and shareholders of the country disappointed Hence we need to create awareness in society need to ensure unity among all sections of society he saidHe went on to say that the march would go to people in different regions and spread awareness about the governments dictatorial policies and also pounced on the central government for misusing its power and attacking students at different universities across the country He said that there was a need to show the people the way ahead and that this path would be shown to them via Mahatma Gandhis ideology of nonviolence that can be used to help the common man and save the constitutionWe will protect the constitution created by B R Ambedkar We will not let the country be divided again We will not let Gandhi be murdered again We all are one said Sinha5No of states the march will go throughCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates