Politics of Settlement

Settlement has become the catchword of the Maharashtra politics nowadays. The thing was part of the political manners for a long period, probably dating back to pre-independence era. However, the personalities involved in the process always tried to avoid the utterances which might give any clue to this thing.

On this backdrop, it was surprising when Sharad Pawar, a veteran of settlementalsim went public with his displeasure over how 'some opposition members are blackmailing builders, threatening them with raising questions in legislature and thereby arriving at settlements'. Having spent his almost five decades of political career in more than three parties, forging alliances with thrice that number parties and boasting of innumerable friends in various political parties as well as businessmen, Pawar is undoubtedly a seasoned player in the way the settlements are done.

To take an example, one can remember how Chhagan Bhujbal, the lone Shiv Sena legislator in Assembly during late 80s fought single handedly against the illegal sale of 289 land plots all over the state. Bhujbal raised a storm of protest which has damaged Pawar's image, putting a stigma of 'land shark' which has refused to leave him since then. Pawar managed a Houdini act of political settlement when he brought Bhujbal into his fold just two years later. The latter has become a stauch loyal foot soldier of Pawar since then and continue to enjoy fruits of power till today.

On this backdrop, Pawar's statement drew a lot of criticism, which he intended, from the opposition quarters. Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in Legislative Assembly, was at the forefront. Khadse has raised many issues pertaining to land scams in assembly, notable among them were irregularities in Lavasa and land scam at Pune.

Pawar had tried many times to repeat Bhujbal feat for Khadse but latter refused to budge. Again, NGOs and activists have shown with evidence how Pawar is involved in the Lavasa project. It was fitting then that when Pawar came up with his utterances, Uddhav Thackerey, Executive President of Shiv Sena replied him with 'a thief knows well the ways another thief uses'. It is a well observed convention in Indian polity that one politician does not reveal his cards, even after a game is over. So when Pawar disclosed the cards, it was evident that either he wants to change rules of the game, which is a Herculean task to say the least, or he simply want to dissuade others so that they are no longer interested in game.