Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel maintain that there is no threat to the government
The 13-year-old Democratic Front dispensation in Maharashtrais facing one of its biggest crisis. Mid-way into its third successive term,the Congress-NCP alliance faces a problem. NCP supremo and Union AgricultureMinister Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar -- who was facing allegations afterallegations over irrigation projects -- has stepped down as Deputy ChiefMinister.
On Tuesday, Pawar Jr sent his resignation to Chief MinisterPrithviraj Chavan -- with a recommendation that Energy portfolio be entrustedto Higher Education Minister Rajesh Tope and Finance and Planning ministries toRural Development Minister Jayant Patil. However, soon after that the 19 other ministers of the NCP in theChavan-government, sent in their resignations to state NCP chief MadhukarPichad, expressing their desire to step down.
However, the confusion is yet to be cleared.
There have been reports in the media that Pawar, who wasWater Resources Minister for a decade between 1999 and 2009, had approved 38projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 without clearance of Governing Councilof Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).
According to reports, Pawar and VIDC executive directorapproved the projects without placing it before the governing councilcomprising state's Chief Secretary and officials of the finance, planningagriculture and water resource departments for deliberation and clearance, asmandated under the rules. It has also been alleged that tenders were approvedat inflated rates but Pawar has flatly refuted the charges.
Pawar Sr. and UnionHeavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel, who is party'strouble-shooter, said that they would favour a white paper at the earliest.
"Over the past few days there has been series ofallegations against me......at this stage, I would not like to be glued to mypost, hence people would think otherwise," Pawar said.
"I will now be an ordinary NCP legislator. This willenable me to devote more time to party work," Pawar said, adding he wasready for a probe by any agency including the CBI.
Since May, the two alliance partners have been in a war ofwords over irrigation projects.
Governor K Sankaranarayan said that Maharashtra could beheading for a water crisis as several major, medium and minor irrigationprojects in Maharashtra are incomplete – for which the government needs Rs75,000 crore to complete these projects. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavanimmediately decided to bring out a white paper on irrigation projects. This,however, was not liked by the NCP.
The Congress-NCP combine has been ruling Maharashtra since1999 and Irrigation department (now rechristened Water Resources department)has been held by NCP, the alliance partner of Congress in the Democratic Frontgovernment. Pawar and his aide Sunil Tatkare has held the portfolio during thisperiod.
Once the issue of white paper became a point of tusslebetween the Congres and NCP, the saffron Opposition also took the opportunityto target the Democratic Front government during the monsoon session of theMaharashtra Legislature.
To make worse for the government, Vijay Pandhare, ChiefEngineer of Water Resources Department has allegedpolitician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus for the irrigation scams in the state tothe tune of Rs 35,000 crore. Four months ago, he had shot off a 15-page letterto the state government, highlighting irregularities. Over the last few years,Pawar is said to have cleared several projects - and many of them arenon-functional.
Pawar Sr and Patel has maintained that there is no threat tothe government.
