Congress decides not to rock state alliance

It was the Congress that blinked, not Sharad Pawar. When the cabinet portfolios were distributed Saturday, the NCP chief got what he wanted.

He retained both ministries he held in the previous government, agriculture and consumer affairs, food and public distribution, despite efforts by a section of the Congress to cut him to size.

The move to placate Pawar is a sign that the central leadership of the Congress is not ready to rock its Maharashtra alliance at the moment. In the immediate aftermath of the elections, state Congress leaders like Vilasrao Deshmukh had set up a chorus to snap ties with its partner and go it alone in the assembly elections starting September this year.

A Congress leader said the party wants a smooth passage for the formation of the government. Initially, Congress negotiators had talked tough with allies by setting a bar of one portfolio each. Pawar was asked to choose between the two ministries. In the war of nerves that followed, he signalled that he would rather opt out of the cabinet than accept a truncated portfolio.

Sharad Pawar has retained the agriculture and civil food supplies portfolio in the Cabinet, despite unconfirmed reports that there had been a misunderstanding between the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. Pawar’s colleagues in the NCP, however, are elated by the portfolio allocation: They feel it shows that the Congress can no longer ignore the role of the NCP in Maharashtra. Here’s what they had to say:

‘This proves Congress has faith in Pawar’
By giving Pawar the portfolio, the Congress has shown its confidence in our leader. Pawar has worked hard and created history in the ministry of agriculture. He provided incentives to farmers to increase their produce, to farm producers and traders to increase the agricultural exports, and also implemented essential infrastructure changes in agriculture. By making him agriculture minister again, the Congress has to put to rest any talk of misunderstanding with our leader. This just proves the Congress’ faith in Pawar.
—Govindrao Adik,
national general secretary, NCP

‘Pawar took good decisions last time’
Pawar has experience in the agriculture sector and is one of the most seasoned persons in the field. During the UPA government’s rule, he took some good decisions that have helped farmers, and which resulted in the agricultural sector getting a boost.  This year, the Congress has contested elections jointly with the NCP. So the decisions we make are jointly taken too and both the parties put in efforts together. We are happy with the election results and the formation of our new government.
—Manikrao Thackre,
MPCC president

‘He is still a key figure for the new govt’
The Congress has reiterated its faith in our leader with this move. It shows the party does give importance to Pawar, both as an individual and a leader in the Parliament. His position has remained unchanged. Pawar’s role at the Centre is important, and by continuing to be minister of agriculture, he will remain a key figure in the new government. Pawar has always been a guiding force at the state and the centre. Despite winning lesser seats this time, Pawar has managed to retain his position and portfolio.
 —Gurunath Kulkarni,
 general secretary, NCP

‘NCP is important and has a good equation’
The NCP has, till now, got only one portfolio, and that is Sharad Pawar retaining his ministry. The NCP is our partner in the state, unlike the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, who are not in power in their respective states. Our leadership has acknowledged this, and does not want to rock the boat in Maharashtra. They cannot afford to get Pawar upset either, apart from the fact that Pawar has maintained good equations with the Congress leadership.
 — Anant Gadgil,
 spokesperson, MPCC

 (They spoke to  Neeta Kolhatkar)