Chief minister Ashok Chavan got the cabinet approval on the controversial decision to create a separate revenue division for his hometown Nanded.
Chief minister Ashok Chavan got the cabinet approval on the controversial decision to create a separate revenue division for his hometown Nanded.
Despite loud protests from former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and even after the matter was referred to Delhi bosses, Chavan managed to tilt the decision in his favour. On Wednesday, he got the decision ratified at the cabinet meeting.
In another teaser to Deshmukh, the chief minister ensured that minorities welfare minister Anees Ahmed was brought to the centrestage. Ahmed was sidelined after he had accused Deshmukh of promoting politicians allegedly misusing the board land for private development.
Sensing the internal differences within the Congress, deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal held separate talks with ministers loyal to Deshmukh to avoid an ugly confrontation within the cabinet. Strangely, Deshmukh supporters in the cabinet remained silent and gave their consent to the revenue division in Nanded without issuing a dissent note on the cabinet papers.
According to a senior minister, “A couple of days ago, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and defence minister AK Anthony, who is in charge of the state Congress, summoned Deshmukh and Chavan to Delhi to sort out the feud.”
Deshmukh was upset as Chavan, immediately after taking charge as CM, created a revenue division for Nanded instead of Latur, the home constituency of the former CM. The issue flared up with Deshmukh-supporters burning effigies of Chavan and filing a PIL in Aurangabad court.
According to the Chavan camp, the CM wants Narayan Rane back in the cabinet to check Deshmukh loyalists in the Congress and blunt the NCP’s highhandedness in administrative affairs.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}