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Friend or foe, it matters little in Maharashtra politics

An all-party slugfest ensued during the recently concluded budget sessionof the state assembly as personal agendas took precedence over welfare.

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The six-week-long budget session of the state assembly that ended on April 21 saw coalition dharma mauled on the floor of both the upper and lower houses as the ruling and opposition combines, apart from the usual business of taking each other on, knifed their partners over personal agendas.

The cracks in both alliances are a reflection of the remote control slipping out of the hands of their leaders. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who has held the reins of the state since five months, may have managed to keep the Congress house intact, but his leadership is still is not acceptable to alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party. Similarly, despite the initial attempts by the Bhartiya Janta Party to endear its ally Shiv Sena, in the weeks that followed, the partners went their own ways without each other’s support. The leader of the opposition, Eknath Khadse, also failed to shore up support of the opposition members, who have lost a golden opportunity of keeping the Congress-NCP on the back foot.

Jack & Jill fight over Water Bill 
There is massive unrest within the NCP, which feels the Congress has backstabbed it by openly opposing the Water Bill. Irrigation minister Sunil Tatkare was so unhappy with Congress protests that he stayed away from several meetings that took place to discuss the Bill. The minister for water resources (Krishna Valley Corporation), Ramraje Nimbalkar, also wondered why the Congress was creating a furore over the Bill.

NCP leaders were quick to remind how it was former Congress chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde who changed the priority of water allocation to industries from irrigation in 2003.

However, the Congress objection is over the formation of the group of ministers which will decide on water allocations to industries from irrigation projects. Congress’ apprehensions are that the NCP, which holds the irrigation portfolio, will dominate decisions related to water allocations to industries, overruling the regulatory body already in existence under the state Water Policy Act of 2001.

Notwithstanding the heated arguments that followed, the Congress scored brownie points over ally. Chavan got the Bill amended by insisting that drinking should be the first priority, followed by irrigation and industries, before getting the Bill passed. But that has done little to mollify NCP young turks who are still wondering wonder why the Congress remained silent when its leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was being rounded up by opposition during the session, even though the NCP came to Chavan’s rescue when he was been cornered over the Jaitapur nuclear plant.

An NCP MLA said, “The manner in which the Congress ganged up against the NCP on the Water Bill is unfortunate. If the trend continues, we will also play our politics.” The Bill not only divided the Congress and NCP, but also consolidated regionalism within the state politics. It turned into a battle between Vidarbha, which is a Congress stronghold, versus western Maharashtra, identified as an NCP bastion.

Fund allocation dries up goodwill
Congress ministers’ public criticism against poor allocation of funds to their department has irked the NCP. Deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar argues, “How can I determine the budget quota on the basis of Congress versus NCP. The chief minister heads the cabinet which okays the state budget. Even the planning committee goes through the details of the allocation based on requirements.” Whether it was a matter related to the sand policy or school education, the NCP kept up the pressure on the Congress. While revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat had to take up the challenge of sand mafia in state, school education minister Rajendra Darda had to face its ally over major reforms.

Opposition opposes itself
In the opposition, the BJP clearly dominated the Sena, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Peasant and Workers Party (PWP) worked independently to pursue their own myopic agendas. When Sena leader Subash Desai demanded action for the violence in Jaitapur following the villagers’ protest to the nuclear plant, the BJP failed to extend its support.

In a candid admission, a BJP leader said, “Frankly, it was a Sena agenda and we did not want to support it.” Even the serious charges made by industries minister Narayan Rane against Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray of accepting Rs500 crore from 11 corporate houses to protest in Jaitapur did not invite any protest from the BJP. The BJP remained mute spectator as it reckoned the issue was turning into Rane versus Uddhav fight.

Throughout the session, it was individuals taking up issues to suit their party agenda. The BJP stuck to the scams against the Congress and NCP. However, their focus was against the Pawars. Whether it was a matter related to NCP president Sharad Pawar’s links with DB reality or Ajit Pawar’s shares in AG Merchantile, the BJP had clearly trained its guns on the NCP stalwarts. Sensing it was a serious issue, the Congress, led by Chavan, stayed out of the controversy. As a result, Pawar had to counter the opposition charges on his own.

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