Congress-NCP row: Chavan tells party leaders to keep quiet

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, under attack from alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) swung into action to keep the party ministers and office bearers together. His message at a special meeting at the state legislature on Monday was “keep quiet and do not brief media” about the evolving political developments in the wake of NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s move to raise certain issues relating to governance and lack of coordination between the two alliance partners at the Centre ,as well as in Maharashtra.

The state Congress downplayed outbursts by NCP leaders against Chavan, and Congress ministers put up a united show, expressing solidarity and support to the chief minister.

Chavan and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre also clarified there was no danger for the Congress-NCP alliance government in the state. Thakre told Business Standard, “On Monday, I have addressed a letter to the NCP state chief, asking him to convey suitable dates for coordination meetings between the two alliance parties.”

A Congress minister, present at on Monday’s meeting, told Business Standard, “The chief minister briefed us about the recent political developments after Pawar and his deputy, Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, skipped the Union cabinet meeting and raised issues regarding the functioning of the government. These issues are being tackled by the Congress’s central leadership. Pawar’s move is obvious, as he is hurt for not being offered the second position after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Union cabinet meeting.”

The minister informed NCP was also agitated over the investigations, to be carried out, by the enforcement directorate, in several scams and irregularities in which certain NCP ministers and leaders were allegedly involved.

Another Congress minister said, “Chavan has asked us not to get provoked by statements by NCP ministers and leaders. We will abide by the decision taken by the central leadership in the Pawar episode.” He said there was unanimity among Congress ministers that NCP’s outburst against Chavan and policy paralysis was unlikely to result in the party pulling out of the government. “NCP will expect the Congress to agree to some issues raised by Pawar, so that his party ministers will continue to be the part of the Congress-led government. A section of NCP ministers and leaders will never agree to sacrifice power, as they are very ambitious. They hope to get a majority on their own in the 2014 Assembly elections,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, NCP state president Madhukar Pichad reiterated the party had brought to Pawar’s notice certain long-pending decisions at the chief minister’s level. “We want regular coordination meetings between the two parties for smooth functioning of the government,” he said.