After the Trinamul Congress’ departure from the UPA 2, the NCP on Tuesday played the 'resignation card' to foil the Congress’ game plan of putting the Sharad Pawar-led party on the dock over the alleged irrigation scam in Maharashtra. These developments have put a question mark on the unity of the United Progressive Alliance.
If the Mamata Banerjee-led party quit the UPA and the Centre on the issue of price rise, the DMK leaders have yet to come out from the spectrum allocation scam.
And the NCP is the third constituent of the ruling coalition being systematically painted as the party of corrupt leaders by the Maharashtra Congress to gain political space.
The NCP’s next move is expected in the next few days.
Though Union minister and the NCP leader Praful Patel on Tuesday clarified that the NCP-Congress alliance is intact and there is no threat to the Maharashtra government following the resignation of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, he asked Maharashtra chief minister Prathviraj Chavan to bring a 'white paper' on the alleged irrigation scam without a delay.
The NCP is hurt by the select briefing and the secret campaign by a section of the Congress (Prithviraj Chavan) to malign the image of its ministers in the state, especially Mr Ajit Pawar.
Responding to questions Patel said, Ajit Pawar would continue to remain the NCP legislature party leader in the state Assembly. He said, Ajit Pawar’s resignation is not a stunt but the decision was taken after consultations with the party high command.
Patel spoke to Prithviraj Chavan and Sharad Pawar, who is now in Kolkata and may share the dais with chief minister Mamata Banerjee at a function on Wednesday.
Ajit Pawar is out, but nominates ‘successors’
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who has tendered his resignation from the state cabinet, made it clear that he would be calling the shots in the NCP legislative party. In fact, he has even nominated his successors to hold charge of the finance and power ministries.
“I am still the leader of the party in the state legislature. I have recommended Rajesh Tope’s name for power department and Jayant Patil for finance and Planning,” said Pawar.
Though Mr Pawar has resigned over the allegations of corruption, he defended decisions taken by him regarding irrigation projects in the state.
“I am not obligated to anyone,” he said. The deputy chief minister is under the spotlight after he cleared 32 irrigation projects worth Rs 13,500 crores within a span of three months in 2009 just prior to the Assembly elections.
The projects were cleared overruling state water department officials as it didn’t fit in the rulebook.
Justifying the controversial decisions taken by him, Pawar said that Maharashtra has been lagging behind in irrigation as compared to other states and also there are many draught prone areas.