Days after the allocation of portfolios, a moment of uneasiness descended on the government with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane engaging in a political game over transfers. An order issued last week by the Personnel Department headed by Sawant replacing GMC dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar with Dr Jaiprakash Tiwari was kept in abeyance after Rane called on the CM and is reported to have resolved the issue.
This most recent discord between Sawant and Rane is a testimony of the fact that they have not yet buried the hatchet. For all the bouquets and embraces that one saw while resolving the government leadership crisis and the optics that the BJP high command created to salvage the situation and create an “all is well” impression, the cold war continues.
With a flurry of transfer orders being issued left, right and centre, the undercurrents in the BJP government are being felt. This does not bode well for a party that has weathered a leadership crisis and looks to endure a full term. What is rather intriguing is the sudden order of relieving Dr Bandekar as the dean and announcing his replacement, that too, days after new portfolios were announced. Also surprising is Rane’s urgency to get Dr Tiwari’s order withdrawn, despite the background that Bandekar is handling multiple departments and has been overburdened. Why would a health minister be so overprotective of a dean and desperately plead for withdrawal of the order relieving him?
Whatever the trade-off between the CM and Rane, it’s time ministers settle down and get back to serious business. There is a lot on the agenda and much catching up to do since major departmental work has been lost in the two crucial years of the pandemic. Internal tussles will not only hinder work but will vitiate the party environment and give roots to factionalism, especially when there are a few disgruntled elements. While the Leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo has been eyeing the collapse of the BJP government on its own weight, the BJP need to find peace within and steady the ship. Ministers irrespective of their track record, differences of opinion and central connections must fall in line and reconcile to the fact that the Sawant is in command. If the government has to stay the course, discipline would be paramount. The line of control will have to be respected at all costs.
The government, no doubt has players of varied hues, interests and roots, but it will be up to the CM how to deal with situations and ward off attempts to intimidate. While he navigates through his second term, with the experience of the past, one would expect robust decision-making and firm leadership. The order relieving Bandekar as the dean was a masterstroke and with that Sawant has shown he's the boss.
