People will react to note ban in the polls, says Sharad Pawar

NCP chief also says all wisdom of cricket administration does not rest with retired judges

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar tells Sanjay Jog all wisdom in cricket administration does not rest with retired judges and that the government will feel the political pain of demonetisation in the Assembly elections.

How do you react to the Supreme Court’s order removing the chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its secretary based on the recommendations of the Lodha Committee report? 

I was restless after I heard the news. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is 80 years old and has been promoting cricket vigorously. The last 60 years have seen about 45 tournaments of Ranji Trophy, of which 41 were won by Mumbai. Besides, Mumbai has produced several cricket players including Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar — all of whom excelled at the international level. However, with the apex court’s order, the MCA’s status has been obliterated. Earlier, Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Mumbai cricket associations had separate status and standing. Similar was the case with neighbouring Gujarat. But their independent status has ended after the recommendations of the Lodha Committee. Sikkim, with a population of about 1.6 million, now has a cricket association that is represented at the national level. But the MCA representing associations from Mumbai and Thane, despite a population of 15 million,  has lost its separate identity. But it is being done to bring in transparency.

According to the Lodha Committee, all states should be given an opportunity,  especially the Northeast, to promote cricket. Let me tell you, when I was BCCI chief I made a lot of effort.

The Lodha Committee has observed that cricket grounds are not optimally used and the respective associations should give permission for tennis and hockey to be played on those grounds. If this is allowed, it will damage the cricket pitch irreparably. 

Now, we are seeing retired apex court judges guiding the organisation of cricket, how to take the game forward and use grounds fully. There are a lot of things to learn. However, I am not able to digest this due to my age and, therefore, I resigned as MCA president. 

The Lodha Committee also recommended that BCCI and association office-bearers should not be over the age of 70, should not hold office for more than nine years and should not be ministers or civil servants. Interestingly, there is no age limit for the retired judges, which is quite good, as the country gets valuable guidance from them.

The Supreme Court has outlawed political parties seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, race, community or language. How do you read this?

It is a path-breaking order. However, there are a lot of issues that need to be looked into, as the apex court has clearly said that seeking votes in the name of religion, caste, race, community or language is illegal. In such a situation, what will happen to those seeking votes in the name of language, say, Marathi (without naming the Shiv Sena or the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena). Besides, there is religion in the name of certain political parties, namely the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League. We need to consult legal luminaries on the impact of the apex court order.

What is your view on demonetisation?

It looks like there was no proper preparation. When somebody takes such a major decision, that authority has to keep an alternative plan absolutely ready. If you are going to demonetise practically 86 per cent of the currency in the country and you have not provided an alternative, then there will definitely be a crisis. There will be chaos. We are facing that situation now.

The only thing is, people are not reacting. Everybody is keeping quiet. I am not worried about that. I can tell you one thing: When former prime minister Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency, initially, there was no reaction, barring from a few political leaders. However, it is in the elections that people across the country react differently. They even defeated Gandhi and a new government came to power. A similar situation prevails now and we are going in that direction.

Will it impact the BJP’s poll prospects in the Assembly elections in five states?

 I can’t say. But I can definitely say that demonetisation will adversely impact the Indian economy and ultimately affect common citizens. If 86 per cent of the currency is removed, it is bound to affect the system, if alternative arrangements are not offered after six months or a year.

In case of industry, it won’t be able to revive itself in even six months; it may take two or three years and its liabilities will increase manifold.

The second important issue is of unemployment. One of the Mumbai-based industry giants has sacked 20,000 workers. My colleague and Shiv Sena member of Parliament R N Dhoot, who is associated with Videocon Group, has informed that it has removed about 2,000 employees. I know many construction companies, which have started sending notices of a job cut. Unemployment will be a serious issue if the government does not take corrective action. If work is not provided, there may be law and order problems that will affect the economy, employment, agriculture, real estate and construction industry and ultimately, youngsters, the working class and job opportunities.

But the prime minister, in his December 31 address, claimed that demonetisation was a big success and has announced populist measures. What is your comment?

People were quite anxious to know what the future course of action after demonetisation would be; therefore, they were eager to listen to the prime minister’s speech on December 31. However, little has been provided to the common man. Some of the decisions were announced on the eve of the new year, but government notification for a few was issued in the past.

Will you join the Opposition for a common strategy against government on the note ban?

A rollback is not possible, as we have gone too far into the process. However, Opposition parties are discussing the future course of action, especially how to take on the government on demonetisation. The NCP will fully cooperate with the move.

Some Opposition parties are pressing for postponement of the Budget due to the Election Commission’s announcement of Assembly polls in five states. Will the Budget influence voters?

The Budget session will begin on January 31. The prime minister has already announced some of the policy decisions and Budget proposals ahead of the presentation of the Budget. However, these won’t have a far-reaching impact. Nor are they aimed at giving much-needed relief to the people, who had faced a lot of hardship due to the note ban.

The Parliament session is slated for eight to nine days. In my political career, I have never seen such a short Budget session — I am more concerned about that. Generally, it is spread over 22 days. We used to hear about Gujarat’s Budget  session winding up in just three and four days. However, the NCP will speak to other Opposition parties and decide the future strategy in this regard.