‘No one can say government has not worked for Marathi Manoos’

Revving up power generation and tackling farmers’ suicides are two major challenges before Maharashtra, feels Vilasrao Deshmukh. He should know. From humble political origins as a gram panchayat member to the chief minister of the state to Union minister of heavy industries now, Deshmukh has seen it all up close. He has that rare depth of insight into things that matter most for the state. Excerpts from an interview:

Looking back, do you think Maharashtra would retain leading
position among states?
I am confident about that. Maharashtra is still the leading investment destination in the country. Several factors about the state inspire confidence among outsiders. It has a long tradition of liberal thinking. It had visionary rulers like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and courageous social reformers like Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Their vision and message of equality and social justice have passed on to later day Maharashtrians as inheritance. These traits make the state so attractive to others. It will maintain its status as the leading state.
 
What have been the strengths of the state since its formation? How is the movement relevant today?
The biggest strength of Maharashtra is its progressive mindset. And the credit of shaping the state after its formation in 1960 goes to the visionary leadership of late Yashwantrao Chavan. He not only set the state on the path of all-round progress, but also ensured that the state remains secular-minded. While he ensured industrial development by concentrating on industries, especially agro-based industries, he also gave the thrust to co-operatives which strengthened rural Maharashtra. He emphasised on health, education and the development of the downtrodden. His vision and ideals have been the  strong point of the state. He was one of the reasons why Maharashtra was looked upon as an ideal by many other states for years.
 
Do you think Maharashtra still enjoys that position?
As I told you, Maharashtra still attracts the largest foreign direct investment and Mumbai remains the most favoured destination for outsiders. But there is competition from many states, including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, at present. I am confident the state will maintain its position.
 
How do you see the separate Vidharbha agitation and the agitations in Mumbai against North Indians?
As far as Vidarbha is concerned, the demand has been there for some time. It erupted after the agitation for a separate Telangana state flared up. But I doubt whether the people of Vidarbha really want a separate state. There was a feeling of deprivation among the people of Marathwada and Vidarbha due to imbalance in development. To meet this challenge, statutory development boards were formed and, to some extent, these boards have served the purpose. I think in a decade, there will be no regional imbalance. To observe a Black Day on Maharashtra Day, as threatened by some organisations, would be wrong.

As far as the agitation over the Marathi Manoos in Mumbai is concerned, such emotive issues are raked up to suit the personal political agenda of the leaders concerned. Marathi language is not their real issue. If you look at the problem carefully, the state government had issued a resolution way back in 1972 to give priority to the Marathi Manoos but there were problems of implementation. Can anyone say that the policies of the government over all these years have been against the interest of the Marathi language and the Marathi Manoos? Had it been so, the people of Maharashtra would not have brought us to power for three successive terms.
 
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party combine have come to power for the third term. But there is no stability and no effective implementation of many programmes. What is the reason?
 I must admit that the quality of politics has gone down. The era of political coalitions is in and it has affected effective implementation of various programmes. One has to understand that there are compulsions of coalition politics and that is the reason one has to chalk out minimum common programmes. Conflicting opinions and ways of implementing programmes have their own impact. But one has to live with it as we are in the coalition era.
 
What are the immediate and long-term challenges before the state?
The immediate challenges are of power generation and, of course, farmers’ suicides. I think these two issues need to be tackled on a war-footing. As far as the long-term challenge is concerned, law and order problems and conflicts must be managed in such a way that investors don’t feel insecure about getting involved with the state. The rate of urbanisation and migration from villages to cities are also a big problem but it could be dealt with a long-term perspective.
 
What do you think are the solutions?
As far as power generation is concerned, many projects are in the pipeline and would fructify in next 2-3 years. To combat farmers’ suicides, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre and the state government have already taken measures. Infrastructure should be developed in a decentralised manner to stop migration of people to cities.

The process has started. The migration of people to big cities like Mumbai and Pune has declined and people are gravitating towards small towns and medium-sized cities. The reason is simple. All facilities available in the mega-cities are within reach at smaller centres, thanks to technology. The general purchasing power is rising and helping markets to expand to these towns. Another reason is Mumbai does not have any room for horizontal expansion.