NCP targets Chavan, threatens pullout

Ajit Pawar

Mounting an offensive against Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Wednesday threatened to pull out of the government.
At a Cabinet meeting that continued for over two hours, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said persistent delays in decisions on vital issues were bound to hit the ruling alliance in the coming polls. “If this continues, we are prepared to pull out of the government and offer outside support to the Congress. You (Congress) can then govern the state on your own,” said Pawar, criticising delays in granting approvals for electricity, housing, irrigation projects and transfer of officials.
“Ministers and legislators, including those from the Congress, were happy during the tenure of previous chief ministers (late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan) but are not too pleased with the current leadership,” he said. On to a proposal to name the Eastern Freeway after Deshmukh, Pawar  said, “What is your issue in naming the freeway after him?”
Targeting Chavan, he said, “A person who has not been directly elected won’t understand what it takes to face an election. While Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal takes decisions in two days, reports are not submitted in two years here. What sort of governance is this?”
Chavan was left to fend for himself as Congress ministers remained silent. Admitting delays, he said he did not have a problem in granting approvals to projects within the legal framework. “I am willing to review pending matters and bring them before the cabinet. Let the cabinet decide,” he said.
The Cabinet then approved cost escalations in 147 irrigation projects worth Rs 623 crore. Later in the evening, Chavan and Pawar summoned ministers and department secretaries individually to review pending approvals. The Cabinet is scheduled to meet again Thursday morning, where several approvals are expected.
Insiders said the NCP offensive was well-planned. “This was to put pressure on Chavan to get capital intensive projects cleared ahead of the model code of conduct,” said a senior minister.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar had held a two-day meeting concluding Monday to review the party’s strategy for Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Ajit Pawar alleged crucial files pertaining to NCP-led departments were not being brought to the Cabinet. He accused senior IAS officials in the CM’s office of behaving in a high-handed fashion.
“Pawar literally took charge of the Cabinet. With senior Congress ministers reluctant to lend him support, Chavan seemed helpless,” said a Congress minister on condition of anonymity.
Before targeting Chavan, Pawar ordered all IAS officials and other non-ministerial staff to withdraw from the meeting. When they returned two hours later, Chavan, acting on ministers’ complaints, asked officials not to shy away from taking decisions.
Senior ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and R R Patil lashed out at the DGP for not moving on police transfers. Mumbai minister Sachin Ahir complained against MHADA officials.
The attack began with Vidharbha ministers Anil Deshmukh (NCP), Nitin Raut and Shivajirao Moghe (Congress) complaining that 109 irrigation projects in the region were stuck pending approvals for cost escalations.
“How do we face the people,” Deshmukh asked.
NCP’s Jaydutt Kshirsagar (Marathwada) and Congress’s Narayan Rane (Konkan) also complained of pending approvals for water and irrigation projects in their belt. Water resources minister Sunil Tatkare launched a direct offensive against Chavan.
Home Minister R R Patil took a dig at delays in police transfers. “The CM does not transfer commissioner-level cops. The DGP delays transfer at the lower level. What should I do then,” he quipped.