At a time 20-odd opposition parties, many of them regional rivals, joined forces over the Adani issue, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar's open support for industrialist Gautam Adani has put a question mark on the durability of a non-Bharatiya Janata Party block in the run-up to the 2024 parliamentary elections.
Pawar's spanner in the works of the opposition's anti-Adani campaign comes parallel to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's outreach to other opposition parties to solidify their unity in this crucial election year when six states will witness polls.
Kharge dialled M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray and some other leaders for an opposition meet early next month and is reaching out to more leaders.
With the opposition unity project confronting yet another headwind, some leaders put up a brave face on Saturday saying Pawar's one-off statement would not deter solidarity efforts.
Pawar's NCP is the second major opposition party to openly bat for a judicial probe into the Adani issue rather than a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) investigation as demanded by most opposition parties.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has already taken this position in the just-concluded budget session of Parliament which was washed out over the JPC issue.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said she did not feel that the opposition unity was being affected and added while Pawar may have his own view, the opposition stood together.
"The entire opposition stands united and this was seen in this budget session of Parliament and that is why the government is baffled and disturbed and is now trying to control the internet," she said.
Shrinate said Pawar's remark may be his own as he is an eminent person, but the Adani issue raises serious security and other concerns.
"We will continue to raise such questions from the Congress platform...," she said.
Asked whether Pawar's remarks will hamper unity efforts, Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja said, "Let us see as many people are saying many things. We will have to see how the process is going to be in the coming days."
"As far as the Left is concerned, we are appealing to all secular democratic parties to come together and fight together to defeat the BJP," Raja told PTI.
Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has said that Pawar not favouring formation of a JPC to probe allegations against the Adani Group will not lead to cracks in the opposition unity.
The Rajya Sabha MP said Pawar has not given a clean chit but expressed his views about options on how to carry out the probe.
Raut added the opposition is firm on its demand for a JPC probe.
"Be it (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee or NCP, there could be different opinions about Adani, but that will not lead to cracks in (opposition) unity in Maharashtra or in the country," asserted Raut, a key aide of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
In an interview to NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around the United States-based Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate.
Pawar said he favoured a Supreme Court committee to probe allegations against the Adani Group, since the ruling party would have a majority in the JPC based on numerical strength in Parliament and this would lead to doubts on such a probe.
"I am not completely opposed to the JPC. There have been JPCs (before) and I have been a chairman of some of the JPCs. The JPC will be constituted on the basis of majority (in Parliament). Instead of a JPC, I am of the opinion that the Supreme Court committee is more useful and effective," Pawar said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a swipe at the Congress and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray, asking them to heed the words of Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on the Adani issue.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said opposition parties will have to unite if they want to win elections against the BJP.
"I can see good results coming on the unity front (at the national level)," he said, noting that discussions are going on.
"Alliance is the only thing which will unite us. We cannot fight individually. That is why even the opposition parties at the national level are trying to find ways to unite so that we can win the elections," Abdullah said in response to a question in Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Twenty-odd opposition parties have come together recently amid talks of taking this unity forward to 2024.
