Congress action against rebels

Also, the exact measure of support for Pawar was not clear till the special meeting he convened yesterday. 8220;We do not hesitate to take action against anybody. Those who indulge in anti-party activities have no place here,8221; Scindia said hours before the expulsions were announced.

With 20 MLAs and ten MLCs expelled, the imminent split in the CLP has been effectively road-blocked, or at least made that much more difficult for Pawar to achieve. The pro-Pawar group had well over the requisite one-third legislators in both Houses of the state legislature yesterday and their efforts were to reach the half-way mark so that Bhujbal leader of Opposition in the Council and Madhukar Pichad, leader of Opposition in the Assembly, would still retain their status in the House. The expulsions mean that the Pawar group will have to begin afresh its efforts at the legislature level.

The Pawar group had the backing of 28 of the 77 MLAs and nine of the 26 MLCs 8212; more the one-third strength required under the anti-defection law to effect a split in the party. But the Pawar group wanted to notch up more than half the legislators in each House so that Bhujbal and Pichad could retain their status even if expelled. By striking now, the Congress makes it difficult not only for them to do that but also to avoid the provisions of the anti-defection law.

For example, by sacking 20 MLAs the effective strength of the Congress drops to 57 which means the Pawar group needs another 20 MLAs to duck the law.

The Congress action, however, surprised nobody. Bhujbal said that it was expected and was not 8220;an earth-shaking piece of news8221;. However, he asserted that it would not make a difference to his status as CLP leader since most of the Council members were still backing him. There is no action yet against Pichad who is attending to a health problem in Kerala but whose pro-Pawar affiliation is not a secret.

PCC president Prataprao Bhosale has been authorised by the AICC to select a new CLP leader to replace Bhujbal. Though he was advised by state leaders to go on the offensive against Bhujbal 8212; who made no secret of his preferences between Pawar and the party 8212; he was constrained by Bhujbal8217;s status as CLP leader. Bhosale chose to apprise the AICC about his 8220;anti-party activities8221; and recommended stringent action. The Pawar group meeting yesterday made the action easier and more aggressive while Scindia8217;s visit made the decision possible today.

Now, the PCC is facing requests from various districts and talukas, including some in Mumbai itself, to take action against local leaders who have shown signs of taking Pawar8217;s political route. This will 8220;send out the strongest-possible signals8221; that the party has no time to waste on rebels at any level and will prevent a division in the party ranks, said PCC office-bearers.

8220;They must be expelled. Not taking any action makes it look like we have acted against CLP members but will tolerate anything from the party network. When it8217;s clear that they don8217;t want the party, the party should throw them out,8221; remarked a senior leader. The PCC has already expelled four district presidents but the leaders have information of a few more who have shown inclination towards the Pawar group.