The Congress party on Saturday ruled out a change of guard in Maharashtra at a time when chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar are trying to checkmate each other. Meanwhile, the confrontation between the Congress and NCP threatens to lead to a spell of political instability in the state.
While the AICC is downplaying the resignation of Union ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel from the Cabinet, saying the issues they have raised would be addressed, they are backing Mr Chavan.
According to Congress insiders, the bone of contention in the crisis is the CM’s confrontation with ally NCP in general, and Mr Ajit Pawar in particular. Mr Sharad Pawar might have raised some basic issues about governance and coalitions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, but the root cause of this crisis is Maharashtra.
Insiders said Mr Chavan’s target is the NCP, and not the Opposition BJP-Shiv Sena because he feels the Congress in Maharashtra can be revived only by discrediting the NCP. “How can the party remove Chavan ... We don’t have a clean leader in the state. It is a different matter when he will deliver in the elections,” they said.
Meanwhile, Mr Chavan, under attack from ally NCP, on Saturday cancelled his visit to New Delhi.
While flagging the issue of lack of coordination between the constituents of the ruling UPA at the Centre, senior NCP leader and Union minister Praful Patel had said the situation in Maharashtra, where the two parties are in power, was no different. In Mumbai, Congress sources denied that the CM’s sudden change in plan had anything to do with developments in the NCP.
Mr Patel said though the party is unhappy in the alliance, it would remain in the UPA. However, the stand-off seems to be far from over as the NCP leadership is now going to meet on Monday to decide its course of action.
According to sources, the NCP wants Mr Chavan out of the CM’s post. Mr Sharad Pawar not being given “due respect” in the UPA is also an issue.