PWP out, govt loses breathing space

In a day of dramatic political development that has landed the Congress-led Democratic Front (DF) government in Maharashtra in a crisis, all...

In a day of dramatic political development that has landed the Congress-led Democratic Front (DF) government in Maharashtra in a crisis, all the three ministers of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) resigned from the Cabinet to protest against the reinduction of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare into the Cabinet.

Soon after Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh communicated his decision to reinduct Tatkare into the Cabinet, PWP Ministers Ganpatrao Deshmukh, Meenakshi Patil and Mohan Patil called on him to lodge their strong protest.

The importance
of being Tatkare

Mumbai: NCP’s Sunil Tatkare is back as a minister in the Maharashtra Cabinet. But what makes him so special that NCP is ready to risk its government for him? Two things, a party leader said. ‘‘With his reinduction, the party leadership wants to tell the cadre that anyone who toils for the party will be rewarded.

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‘‘And, the Congress-NCP government does not want to be at the mercy of smaller parties, such as the PWP and the Janata Dal, who are threatening to pull out every now and then.’’ The decision to drop Tatkare evoked a strong reaction from partymen who were impressed with his efforts to build a strong party unit in Raigad district. All those who mattered in Raigad NCP — including Khalapur MLA Suresh Lad, district chief V.G. Oswal and all 16 newly elected party zilla parishad members — offered to quit in protest.

The party had given Tatkare the freedom to expand NCP’s base in Raigad. The district elected two party MLAs. Soon after, cadres of NCP and PWP fought a bitter battle that ended with the PWP nominee’s ouster in Raigad ZP polls. The NCP’s ZP members defied the party whip and voted for a Shiv Sena candidate to elect a president in a hung house. PWP, a partner in the ruling DF, demanded Tatkare’s scalp. As a result, he was ousted from the government.

Today, however, he returned as minister. An NCP minister said: ‘‘The party has clarified that the smaller constituents can’t hold it to ransom. We have Independent MLAs to support us.”

SHAILESH GAIKWAD

Though Deshmukh and NCP spokesman Vasant Chavan have ruled out any immediate threat to the DF government, a senior PWP leader said a decision on whether to support the government will be taken in a day or two. ‘‘I have received their resignations, but I have not forwarded them to the Governor. I have asked them to reconsider the resignations in larger interest of the DF,’’ said Deshmukh.

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Further, he said, Tatkare’s removal, as also his reinduction, was an internal matter of NCP. ‘‘When they asked me to forward his resignation to the Governor, I did that. Now they recommended his reinduction and I have obliged them,’’ Deshmukh said.

PWP leader Ganpatrao Deshmukh maintained there was no question of withdrawing the resignations since Tatkare’s reinduction am-ounted to breach of trust. He said his party, with five members in the Lower House, will not withdraw support to the state government.

Ganpatrao has linked the resignation of PWP ministers to several factors, including failure of the government to provide adequate drinking water, large-scale powercuts in rural parts and inability of government to provide funds for projects under the Krishna Valley.

In the House of 288, the DF’s strength is 150, including 74 of the Congress, 60 of the NCP and five of the PWP. If the PWP withdraws support, the DF will have just one member more than what is required for a majority. ‘‘Certainly, it will be a piquant situation. In that event, we will have to seek support of the Independents,’’ a senior Congress minister said.

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And, sources said the Congress is indeed considering to rope in half a dozen Independents — as a safety measure. ‘‘The proposal is that one of the Independents should be made a Cabinet member while five to six be inducted as ministers of state,’’ the minister said.

The crisis follows PWP’s allegations that the defeat of its member Jayant Patil’s wife Supriya in Raigad Zilla Parishad polls was due to Tatkare’s role. They alleged despite an agreement among the DF constituents, a section of the NCP, on Tatkare’s advice, had voted against Supriya.

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