Pawar's politics

It is a general perception that the sugar mill owners in Maharashtra gave ample donations to Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party during the Maharashtra Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. In return the NCP supremo made statements from time to time which resulted in the price of sugar going up from Rs 12 a kg to Rs 50 a kg. Being the Food minister, other foodgrain traders also provided financial aid to the party.
All sections of the society are perplexed as to why Pawar continued giving such statements even when there was no shortage of the sweetner. Both the Congress party and the Nationalist Congress Party have to extend hands for power both at the Centre and in Maharashtra. Pawar has been taking advantage of this compulsion whereas Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh kept mum.
However, now things seem to be changing with the Union Cabinet contemplating to take away the Food department from Pawar. On Monday the Congress party said the mandate of controlling food prices lay with the agriculture and food ministries but added that inflation was the concern of the Central government too.
The Congress has never indulged in bashing up its allies but the party was within its rights to express the concern of millions on the price rise.
At political level also Sharad Pawar had been cornered when Congress party general secretary, prior to elections, had commented that Sharad Pawar should merge his NCP with the Congress party. This was because Pawar had left the Congress party on the suggestion of making Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister. Now, since he has accepted the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and is a minister in her government, Digvijay Singh's then comments carry lot of weight. Still Pawar is prefering to walk alone.
Recently Pawar had also met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray over cricket issue. Both Pawar and Thackeray have given indications that if the Congress severs ties with Pawar and the BJP leaves out Thackeray then, both would join hands leading to new political equation in the State.