RR Patil stays with ‘home’. The decision is that of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who also said Mumbai police is fully capable of cracking the blasts case.
Pawar also dismissed as “irrelevant” chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s statement that ‘home’ should be with the CM.
Earlier, on Monday Patil rushed to Delhi after receiving summons from Pawar to discuss the image beating the party has taken following the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. The NCP felt the heat as the home portfolio was with a senior cabinet minister representing the party.
The intervention of the top leadership of the NCP also comes in the wake of the growing friction between deputy chief minister (also finance minister) Ajit Pawar and RR Patil. Discontent against Patil’s handling of home has emboldened a sizeable section in the party and cabinet to launch a veiled attack against him.
This was apparent when minister for rural development and former home minister Jayant Patil said, “After 26/11 I had recommended some significant changes in the functioning of the ministry. I am not sure how much of the suggestions have been executed. The present home minister would be able to answer.”
Highly placed sources in the NCP told DNA that Ajit (Pawar) headed straight from Pune to Delhi. Patil, who was scheduled to hold a meeting in Mantralaya, left for the national capital after summons from Delhi.
Sources in the party indicated that “there is pressure building up in the organisation with a section voicing its concerns, asking for a change of home minister”. The sources said Sharad Pawar would review the situation before making any changes.
“The monsoon session of the state assembly will commence from July 25. As such, change of cabinet berths at this juncture is being ruled out,” the sources said.
Another senior cabinet minister, asking not to be named, said:
“Frankly speaking, there are very few takers for the complex home ministry in the party at this moment. The breakdown in the home ministry with warring top cops on the one hand and absence of ground network to deal with intelligence is a formidable challenge which cannot be undertaken in the short term.”
Senior leader and public works department minister Chhagan Bhujbal and rural development minister Jayant Patil, both of whom have held the home portfolio in the past, may not be keen to take charge in the current situation. Post 2009 elections, it was suggested that Ajit Pawar, who is perceived to be tough, should have kept the home portfolio to streamline the system but the Pawar Sr preferred RR Patil, instead.
In the backdrop of the statement from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that home should remain with the chief minister, the pressure on NCP to undertake corrective measures has been building.
Officially, the NCP tried to underplay developments, arguing Patil’s visit to Delhi was to participate in a meeting convened by Union home minister PC Chidambaram, and related to purchases of equipment for which both Patil and Ajit Pawar were required to take decisions.
However, political managers said, “The core committee of the NCP is fire-fighting several issues following loss of face post-bomb blasts.”
Insiders also indicated that Ajit was getting impatient with the poor handling of the home department by Patil.
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