Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Manikrao Thakre tells Sanjay Jog the Congress party in Maharashtra is unmoved by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar’s resignation. Instead, the party is keen to work effectively with co-partner NCP till the next assembly elections, which are slated to be held in 2014
Will the Congress-NCP coalition government function normally after NCP has accepted Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s resignation?
Let me make it clear Congress and NCP are coalition partners and have been in the government since 1999. There has been no adverse impact on the Congress-led government in Maharashtra following Ajit Pawar’s resignation. While resigning Ajit Pawar had said he would not accept any post till charges against him were cleared. The Congress-NCP alliance will continue. Ajit Pawar’s resignation was NCP’s internal issue. The state government is quite stable.
Ajit Pawar stepped down due to allegations of irregularities in the irrigation sector when he was minister during 1999-2009. How can the Congress party simply overlook these charges?
As a minister, whatever decisions Ajit Pawar took, he was responsible and accountable for those. However, being a Congress-NCP coalition, it is also the responsibility of the government to remove doubts raised by the Opposition and various other organisations.
But, Ajit Pawar has blamed Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan of delaying the white paper on irrigation?
I don't want to make any comment on our chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan. However, it was he who made the announcement on bringing out the white paper on irrigation. This was in the wake of differences in the estimates by the irrigation department and those by the agriculture and revenue departments. The government will have to provide a clear picture of the proposed white paper. I am of the view that the Congress-NCP government will have to collectively appear before the people on the issue.
If Ajit Pawar’s resignation was NCP’s internal matter, what was the need to convene a meeting of the Congress legislature party?
Let me clarify it was an informal meeting, one in which the chief minister and party legislators met and unanimously decided not to aggravate the situation further, but stay calm. We asked our party members not to react to incidents of burning of chief minister’s effigies by NCP workers. Everyone present at the meeting agreed and reaffirmed their faith and confidence in Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s leadership. The party is committed to supporting the chief minister’s ongoing efforts to provide a clean, transparent and efficient government in Maharashtra.
So, would your party press for an inquiry into the irrigation scam?
The party is in favour of putting all facts in front of the people. The Congress party and its government will not support corruption of any kind, and will act ruthlessly against it. The Congress will not compromise on corruption nor it will shield anybody. The party is committed to its fight against corruption.
Our party president Sonia Gandhi has already exhorted party-led governments and members to step up efforts against corruption. The party will extend its cooperation to investigation agencies probing scams, if any.
What about school education minister Rajendra Darda, whose name figures in the ‘Coalgate’? Will you seek his resignation?
Rajendra Darda has already put up his argument before the chief minister and the party high command. The decision will solely be the party high command’s. It is collecting necessary information in this regard.
How is the Congress-NCP government in the state equipped to face corruption charges by the Opposition?
The campaign run by the Opposition exposes its greed for power. Our leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have been quite vocal against corruption. Levelling charges against them is politics. Similarly, in Maharashtra, the government will take the Opposition head on and reach out to the people. The chief minister, who has a clean image in public life, is committed to stopping corruption.
NCP, your co-partner, is also engaged in one-upmanship and is leaving no stone unturned to either embarrass the Congress party or outpace it in the elections...
The Congress is a mass-based party and it will continue to be so in the future, too. NCP, despite being a coalition partner, took a contrary position in the recent elections by openly siding with the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The objective was to keep the Congress at bay. In Vidarbha, which is traditionally the Congress party’s bastion, NCP is sharing power with the BJP and the Shiv Sena, despite having sufficient strength.
A similar charge is made by the NCP against the Congress for its proximity with the Shiv Sena?
These charges are totally baseless. The Congress has not struck any pre- or post-alliance with the Shiv Sena and the BJP. On the other hand, the NCP has tied up with BJP president Nitin Gadkari in his home district, Nagpur, to gain power in zila parishads. Similarly, the NCP bagged the post of vice-president in Chandrapur zila parishad, which is the home district of state BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar.
How can parties vying for the number one slot in state politics continue to govern till the next elections?
You should not mix administration and politics. As a coalition government, the Congress and the NCP will make all efforts to implement pro-growth projects. However, when it comes to elections, both parties are free to take decisions according to local conditions and their ideologies. There is a coordination mechanism in place, through which Congress and NCP leaders meet for effective coordination at the central level.
Is the Congress geared up to fight the next assembly elections alone?
At present, our focus is on strengthening the party organisation in 48 Lok Sabha and 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. I will complete my visits in all 48 Lok Sabha constituencies by December and, subsequently, travel in assembly segments which are organisationally weak, on a priority basis. The idea is to encourage ministers and organisational office bearers to work in coordination and reach out to the people. Ministers have agreed to spare time for party work. The objective is to win the highest number of seats. The party high command’s decision on whether or not to fight the ensuing elections alone will be final.
