No orchids for Mr Clean

Prithviraj Chavan, the high command's choice as Maharashtra CM, is up against all odds. Can he survive party saboteurs and his deputy? Danish Reyaz probes

 

Can a former US-trained aeronautical engineer fit the bill as Maharashtra chief minister, a state notorious for factional dogfights, mega land scams, mobsters, slush money and sleaze? Ask the current incumbent and Mr Clean, Prithviraj Chavan, and there is a pretty good chance his reply would be in the negative.

 

In Maharashtra's byzantine politics, you need a Godfather – or two – and Chavan is not in a position to boast of even one. Which is not surprising, considering that he has never practiced the craft of politics in the state. 

 

An intellectually inclined politician given to working on policy issues, economic figures and market projections in the backroom of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), working variously as minister of state for the ministries of science and technology, earth sciences, personnel, public grievances and pensions and parliamentary affairs, could Chavan squeeze himself into the local political mold where rough and tumble is the prevailing norm? A million
rupee question.

 

Maybe that's why despite a clean political image, Chavan is up against all odds in his hot seat. Why was his leadership not inspirational enough to succeed in the municipal corporation and zila parishad elections? Why is it that other Congress stalwarts – and Maharashtra has a handful of them – are not too keen that the chief minister complete his tenure? How long is he likely to last in such
an environment?

 

These questions are resonating not just from the mantralaya but all over Mumbai and has now reached the corridors of central power in New Delhi. Chavan reportedly told some Delhi journalists on a recent visit to the Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road that he was ‘fed up’ with the state's internecine battles.

 

When Chavan succeeded Ashok Chavan on November 11, 2010, political pundits had predicted that despite being armed with the party supremo's “aashirvad” from 10 Janpath, the mechanical engineering graduate may not be 

suitable for local politics, a lot of which runs on personal contacts and old affiliations. 

 

After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Vilasrao Deshmukh took moral responsibility and resigned as chief minister. After him, Ashok Chavan became a casualty of the Adarsh Society scam, borne out by a subsequent development of April 30, 2012, where he along with 14 others were booked by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to Adarsh. So it became more than obvious that Congress, fighting a plethora of anti-corruption cases, needed a Mr Clean. Who better than Prithviraj Chavan could fit the bill?

 

But with strongly entrenched vested interests in Mumbai and the state, the critical question is who will let Mr Clean survive, notwithstanding pious platitudes and expression of good conduct?

 

Chavan's style of work has impressed neither the powerful Maratha lobby nor the omnipresent builders' lobby, two influential poles in the state's politics.

 

Result: Ajit Dada Pawar, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and nephew of Maratha strongman and union minister Sharad Pawar, is calling the shots, assuming responsibilities and handling day to day affairs. In doing so, he has build a strong presence in the rarefied world of mantralaya mandarins.

 

Says Munaf Hakim, state general secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): “There is no doubt that Prithviraj Chavan came in as Mr Clean but he lacks experience of state politics. If you are the boss then good and bad decisions become necessary and unavoidable. But if you are unable to take a decision on time, no one will remember you for any work done. I think Chavan is going by the dictum that if he doesn’t act then nobody can blame him for any thing.” Not the way you would expect a traditional politician to behave.

 

That, sadly for the chief minister, is not a lone discordant voice. Madhva Bhandari, BJP spokesperson, views Chavan in a similar light. “I have not seen any chief minister like Chavan in 25 years of state politics. Maharashtra is on a ventilator. It is a fact that he does not take any decision and wants others to follow suit. With this mindset, how will he work? People want to know why their work is on hold.”

 

Political sources say that Prithviraj Chavan was the centre's choice but now even the party supremo (read Sonia Gandhi) understands how critical the situation is. At the moment they are unable to remove him and the state's quick shift politicos, realising it, are keeping their views to themselves. 

 

Congress' dilemma stems from the fact that there are other contenders but invariably, there are question marks against most of them. Narayan Rane may have been a good choice but he has the potential to become a threat to the party itself because his taking centre stage will fire up the Shiv Sena which is sure to join battle with their former comrade and alleged turn coat, political analysts say. Rane is reportedly very keen to take oath as Chavan's successor.

 

Adds Hakim, “I do not know what is happening in the Congress, but I do know that Ajit Dada Pawar is doing a good job and is completing projects on the fast track. On a day to day basis, he takes decisions related to development and has support of the people of the state as well as the administration. Being a grassroots leader, he realises the importance of deadlines. That way, he also constitutes a direct threat to Chavan.”

 

Does it mean that the Maharashtra chief minister could be on his way out, replaced by the high command just as he had been inducted?

 

Party leaders rule out an imminent change. “The Congress is unlikely to take another bad decision and replace him. It will take its time and Chavan will complete his tenure because the 2014 General Elections are looming large on the horizon and at a time when the party is facing umpteen corruption charges, Mr Clean remains their best bet,” says one party MP.

 

Agrees Manik Rao Thakre, state Congress president, “Prithviraj is our CM and he is doing a very good job. It is only the opposition which is charging him for not clearing files and for not being suitable for the state. His impact on the state as Mr Clean is undeniable.”

 

Reasons Nizamuddin Rayeen, Mumbai Congress spokesman, “Chavan's good image is creating a crisis in the opposition. They have no issues to attack Mr Clean. Hence the propaganda that he is not clearing files. The CM clears files related to development works on a day today basis. But it is true that he takes his time to clear private sector files, particularly those relating to the builder lobby.” Little surprise then that Chavan has made more enemies than friends during his year-and-a-half old tenure as the state's CEO.

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