Thackeray’s remote puts MiC debate on pause

March 7: The remote control is in action once again. This time the target is the controversial year-old Mayor-in-Council. Contrary to Chi...

March 7: The remote control is in action once again. This time the target is the controversial year-old Mayor-in-Council. Contrary to Chief Minister Narayan Rane’s strongly expressed opinion on scrapping the MiC, Bal Thackeray today said that nothing would be done in a hurry and that any decision on whether MiC should stay or be scrapped will be taken after a series of meetings. Thackeray today conveyed this to Mayor Nandu Satam who had gone to Matoshree after his return from Australia.

According to sources, Thackeray has directed Nandu Satam to first hold talks with Chief Minister Narayan Rane and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and make his point on the allegations made against him clear. Later, Thackeray said he would call for a meeting with Rane and Munde. And only then, he would anounce his decision. Satam who was on an official tour to Australia last week when rumours of the state government keen to scrap the MiC started called on Thackeray this morning at Matoshree.

He was accompanied by someof his council members. Those who attended the meeting included Arvind Nerkar, Digambar Kandarkar, Subhash Sawant, Prabhakar Shinde and Ram Mhatre, all members from the Sena. The meeting lasted for 45 minutes. However, the women members of the Sena, Sadhana Mane, Suhasini Parab and Shraddha Jadhav and the remaining three Bharatiya Janata Party members of the MiC, Deputy Mayor Gopal Shetty, Sardar Tara Singh and Rajesh Sharma were not called for the meeting, according to sources.

Satam is reported to have told Thackeray that there could not be any comparison as regards to the deficit at Nagpur and Mumbai, the only two corporations to have the MiC system as the taxes applicable to both the corporations are different in nature.

This has given some respite to MiC after Rane had announced last week that he intended to scrap the system following complaints against the functioning of the members and taking into consideration the huge deficit BMC was facing. There were also rumours that the state government wasgoing to introduce a bill in the state Assembly session starting on March 16. At an informal meeting, Satam had told the press yesterday that he was willing to submit his resignation to Thackeray if he asks for it.