It's true I was behind end of alliance with Shiv Sena: Eknath Khadse

From his tactless query as to why farmers who could afford paying mobile bills were not paying power bills, to his deputy's allegations against him that he was hogging authority in the revenue ministry, Eknath Khadse has not been a minister without controversy in his four months in office so far. Nor has his party's government.

The 62-year-old veteran BJP leader handles several portfolios – revenue and excise, minorities development and wakf, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries - and almost each has grave issues confronting it.

In a freewheeling conversation with dna staff at our head office on Wednesday, Khadse took up questions that Mumbai, and the state at large, was waiting to hear the answers to - whether it be about the beef ban, proposed abolition of octroi, farmers' plight, graft in revenue ministry, minority issues, or Mumbai's nightlife.

The minister also said the credit for causing the 25-years-old Shiv Sena-BJP alliance to crack redounded on him; it rewarded his party by making it the single largest party in the house.
Excerpts:

CP Surendran: How's the new government doing?
EK: Quite well. People have a lot expectations. We want to resolve their problems and bring the state on the development path. We have been in power for four months and we do not have a magic wand, so it will not be right to judge the success of the government (yet). Give us time, everything will be all right.
Nevertheless, we are committed to bring major reforms and address people's issues. We are taking small but concrete steps that will have positive impact on people. We want to involve the people and give them direct benefits. The administration plays the key role in delivery of government schemes and systems. The image and the success of any government depends upon their efficiency and work system. Therefore, we have decided to overhaul the system with the help of technology.

CP: Do you perceive any threat from Aam Aadmi Party in Maharashtra because it has bundled you down in the Delhi elections?
EK: We do not see any threat from AAP. The party has no significant presence in Maharashtra. I think they do not have any credible, reliable and mass-pulling face in the state. There leader Anjali Damania herself is running pillar to post to save her land in Karjat. She had acquired farmers' and tribal land with fraudulent means so the government confiscated it. She went to court but the court also told her go back to the government. Therefore, candidly, I do not foresee a threat from AAP. Currently, they are busy demolishing themselves.

Somendra Sharma: Why does your revenue department keep getting caught by the Anti Corruption Bureau?
EK: People do read news stories of revenue officials, mostly in the lower rungs, getting caught taking bribes and in ACB traps. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also called me and pointed out this fact. I told him it is not something new or for the first time that the revenue department was featuring #1 in corruption. It has been going on for a long time.
But we have decided to eliminate corruption from the root by introducing technology-based reforms. Lesser the involvement of people, lesser the chances of corruption. Therefore, the government's emphasis is on technology-based delivery system.

Sudhir Suryawanshi: Can you throw some light on the technology-based reforms you are planning to introduce?
EK: As revenue minister, I have decided to simplify the sale, and lease and licence registration procedures. It should be so simple that the layman understands and follows it without paying heftily to agents. As part of it, we have given laptops and computers to all revenue officials from village to district level. Besides, we are providing them internet connections. Everything will be online and linked to the portal. Presently, if you want to measure your land or property, you have to make an application, then as per the whims and fancy of the local revenue officials, the measurement is carried out. If you want urgent measurements, you have to grease the officials' palms. It is a time-consuming system. These complications lead to the corruption, and harassment of people. We have decided to start an online measurement system. People from any part of the world can apply online and pay fees online via credit cards, after which a token number is granted, and a date is fixed for measurement. On the given day, officials will come to your field or at your residence to carry out the measurement.
Moreover, the affidavit is the major issue. As of now, many people including students have to give affidavits for various purposes to government, schools and colleges. The affidavit has to be made on stamp papers of Rs50-Rs200. For this, they have to go to the authorising place sand undergo many formalities, another time-consuming process. Now, we have decided to introduce the self-affidavit. Here, you do not need to buy the stamp paper or pay anyone to make the affidavit. It can be done on plain paper with your signature and details. If someone falsifies the information in the self-affidavit, this will be tantamount to a non-bailable offence carrying a penalty of two years' imprisonment.

Moreover, citizens will also get the 7/12 extract online and will be able to do e-kharedi – sale and registrations of property - within 15 days from the date of submission of documents. By introducing this reform, we will be able to bring down corruption and make optimum use of the system.

Somendra Sharma: Government officials are caught by ACB, but the conviction rate is abysmal. Many government departments do not support each other and files are delayed and kept pending without any valid reason. So these cases drag year after year. Why?
EK: It is true that the conviction ratio is not satisfactory. Even the chief minister has pointed this out. We had a meeting with the ACB in that regard . The CM categorically told all departments not to delay conviction-related files. Henceforth, our officials will deal with the issue seriously and I am sure the conviction ratio will go up in the next few months.

Santosh Andhale: Shiv Sena and BJP are sharing power but it does not look like that. Sena or its mouthpiece Saamana regularly criticise and attack government policies and decisions in a vitriolic manner. Many a time they do not spare you.
EK: It is the old tussle. Sena leaders (Uddhav Thackeray) feel that I was behind breaking the 25-years-old Sena-BJP alliance before the state assembly elections. Therefore, they criticise me. It is also true: From day one after the Lok Sabha elections, I was telling my senior leaders that we did not need to go with Sena in the state polls, that we had enough strength to get the numbers. And today, I can proudly say that my suggestion and decision paid off, with 123 BJP MLAs in the 288-member state assembly.
So, such criticism will go on. They had also decided to defeat me in the state polls, but what is the result? People from the constituency stood by me and showed the Sena its place.

Dhaval Kulkarni: But if you are sharing power, there should be one line of thinking or coordination. A divided house does not send the right message to the people.
EK: It is true that a united face needs to be put before the opposition. Out of confusion and frustration, Sena is making baseless statements. It is my friendly advice to them that they decide where they want to stand, in the Opposition or with the government. We will respect their decision either way. We have a lot of options to run the government.

Dhaval Kulkarni: There were allegations by Sena that BJP ministers are not not giving them allotted portfolios or sharing departmental responsibilities. Is it true?
EK: These are baseless allegations by Sena ministers. If we talk about a particular Sena minister of state, Sanjay Rathod, who wrote a letter against me... I told him not to touch the controversial benami and tribal property files because there is an oral stay by former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, since many tribal laws were misused to gobble up tribal land. So, we decided to review this decision and earlier controversial files. Mr Rathod particularly wanted to handle these files only. I was not in favour of that. Therefore, he got angry with me. There is no other reason. If anyone wants to work in the larger public interest, there is a lot work in the government for them. But vested interests of certain people created the controversy.

Nikhil Dixit: Yuva Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has been pushing the round-the-clock nightlife proposal for Mumbai. What is your stand?
EK: The proposal has different angles. Someone wants only hotels to run throughout the night. Then what about autos and taxis? If people come to eat at night, they need transport facilities. Then there is the duration of the nightlife. Some feel it should be till 4am, other says it should be for the entire night. We are studying all aspects of this proposal. Besides, law and order is a major concern. If we go ahead with the proposal, crime will automatically increase.

If you ask my personal opinion, I am very much in its favour. One of the most buzzing cities in the world should have a nightlife. Even currently, the city is not closed at night. We will find out ways to implement the proposal.

Shailendra Paranjape: Are you framing any policy for forest land, such as allowing tribals to use the land for their livelihood?
EK: Our prime minister, Narendra Modiji, has great vision for forest land and uplifting the tribals. He wants to promote farming of medicinal plants in forests. We have also allocated some budget for the promotion and sale of medicinal plants. The tribals can cultivate medicinal plants and sell it to the government. Tribals have expertise in forest plants and their uses and curative properties. We want to set up a proper system with herbal medicine stores across the country. The medicinal plants are useful and in demand. We should be proud of our heritage. By doing this, we will generate employment and boost the economy.

Divyesh Nair: There is a lot of criticism about the ban on eating and possessing beef in the state. People are saying the BJP government is dictating terms by telling people what to eat and what not? Is it not an encroachment of the fundamental right of the people?
EK: Banning culling of cow, oxen and bulls bill was approved 19 years ago during the Sena-BJP government. Only, the president's assent was awaited. The president signed it recently, so the bill became law. Banning sale and eating of beef cannot be called unconstitutional. If it was termed a violation, the president would not have signed on it. Now, our focus should be how it should be implemented in letter and spirit. There is no point criticising it now. We have to take care of everyone's sentiments and emotions.

Nikhil Dixit: But what about aging and unproductive cows and other cattle? Who will buy them?
EK: Our government will buy them by paying a handsome amount to farmers. It is my responsibility to care for unproductive animals. If anyone cannot afford an unproductive cow, they can give it to me. I will keep them all. Many Jains and NGOs welcomed the move and congratulated us. They are ready to start cowsheds for unproductive cows. Besides, our government has a huge chunk of land, which will be used to set up the the sheds. We will use cow dung and urine for various purpose. We have already earmarked Rs90 crore in the budget for these unproductive animals. If required, more funds will be allocated at any given day.

Dhaval Kulkarni: What about the leather industry? It will be badly affected by the ban on slaughter of unproductive animals.
EK: Not at all. All are assumptions. We will keep unproductive animals and if they die a natural death, their skin will removed and used for the leather industry. We are not going to bury them. We are not going to throw them anywhere. After their death, these animals will be used for many purposes.

Nikhil Dixit: There is so much controversy over the development of Aarey Milk Colony. What is your take on it?
EK: Let me tell you, after the Aarey colony controversy, I personally stayed in the colony overnight to understand the situation. We need to protect the green space for fresh air, for the next generation. Aarey is not a small area, it is spread over 2,300 acres, and we do not want to give it away for the sake of development. In Aarey, several toilets were constructed, but they are more in number than the people staying there. Why? The tanker mafia constructed more and more toilets so they could use the toilet water to sell around the area. Moreover, in place of toilets, many started constructing pakka houses, promoting illegal construction. We want to stop that. In fact, last week, we demolished over 400 illegal structures in Aarey area.

Ashutosh Shukla: Before the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, the BJP had promised many things to Christian and Muslim, but after coming to power, you seem to have forgotten them and are taking a majoritarian approach.
EK: It is not true. I handle the minorities portfolio and have kept separate funds for their development. But no one approaches us. Modiji has asked us to bring the minorities in the mainstream, since they should be part of this development. We are giving scholarship to many minority students among economically backward communities. The Centre has earmarked Rs5,000 crore for the minorities' development.

Ashutosh Shukla: There are allegations that the BJP government is interfering in the minorities' schools, colleges and other establishments, not allowing them to utilise funds on wakf board land.
EK: Muslims feel that the wakf board land belongs to them. It is not true. The philanthropist Sir Mohammed Ismail Yusuf, in 1930, donated several acres to the British government specifically for education of the Muslims. But now, people have started using the land for commercial and other purposes. It is a violation of the norms set by the donor. Therefore, we want to take back the land which has been misused. I have asked revenue department officials to check the record and see how the wakf board land has been used.

Maitri Porecha: There was talk about abolishing octroi and replacing it with local body tax (LBT) in Mumbai. Actually, octroi is the main source of revenue for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
EK: We have alternatives to octroi. Even LBT is not the solution. During the elections, we had promised LBT-free Maharashtra, and that crucial announcement will be made before the conclusion of the ongoing budget session. We will deliver on the promises.

Dhaval Kulkarni: Why did the BJP cancel the Muslim reservation, despite the Bombay high court's green signal for 5% Muslim quota in education?
EK: We are committed to Muslim and Maratha reservations. However, as per the Constitution's guidelines, reservation to Muslims cannot be given on the basis of religion. We have asked the advocate-general to seek opinions and submit a report. We want to take a decision that will stand in the court of law. It should not be squashed by the court at the final stage, like the Maratha reservation. Earlier, such reservations were squashed by the Supreme Court; we do not want to go through the same rollercoaster ride. So far, whoever got reservations has got benefits in terms of jobs and admissions, from which they cannot be thrown out.

Naziya Alvi Rahman:There is drought in Maharashtra. Recently, crops were badly hit by hailstorm and untimely rainfall. Some farmers received aid, some are still waiting.
EK: Let's first understand how droughts are declared. Even 67 years after independence, we are using a Colonial drought-declaring system called Anewari. If crops are affected above 50%, then that particular region is declared drought-prone. There are several lacunae in this 200-years-old system. Our government has decided to replace this outdated system. We want to introduce a satellite-based system to ascertain the damage to crops. It will be more scientific, and no one will be deprived from getting relief and compensation packages during the calamities.

—Compiled by Sudhir Suryawanshi