Events & Issues
New
Delhi, 29 October 2014
Chavan
Interview
LUST FOR
POWER LETHAL
By Proloy
Bagchi
The Congress, especially its
President, Sonia Gandhi, has always been accusing its political opponent, the BJP,
of having an acute hunger for power (satta
in Hindi). But the revelations of erstwhile Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Prithviraj Chavan in a confessional interview clearly indicate that the lust
for power is more evident in the Congress than in any other political party.
While Chavan’s no-holds-barred
interview to a daily on the eve of Maharashtra
elections earlier this month did make news, it begs a deeper prod into the rot
that has set in. Though the revelations made presumably were born out of
disappointment and frustrations of having been ditched by his seemingly corrupt
coalition partners, the interview clearly reveals how the unscrupulous have a
field day in coalitions. It happened at the Centre and it also happened in Maharashtra, both being ruled till recently by
Congress-led coalitions.
Chavan happened to confess that he
did not take action against two of his predecessors, late Vilasrao Deshmukh,
Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan for allegations against them in the now
(in)famous “Adarsh” building scam as, he thought, sending them to jail would
have “decimated the Congress in Maharashtra”. Curiously, he expected the
Congress to be returned to power despite its wrongdoings – a hope that
predictably proved to be false. In protecting the two of his predecessors (the
third was being probed by CBI) he hoped to save the Congress and expected to
survive as Chief Minister. But voters seemed to have had other ideas and
jettisoned Chavan and his Congress from the government. Only time will tell
whether the party will survive in the State as a political entity and overcome
its own-created hurdles.
In the interview, Chavan also
confessed that he did not initiate action against Ajit Pawar, his Deputy Chief Minister
from the NCP, only to save his coalition government. Pawar, also a nephew of
his party chief, Sharad Pawar, was involved in a serious irrigation scam that
is yet to be properly investigated. Chavan said, “I
did not order a police inquiry, I did not ask for a judicial commission report
— all for the sake of keeping the alliance intact…” It is such a nice repeat of
what Manmohan Singh did, who too remained a mute and blind spectator to all the
shenanigans of several of his ministers, saying his inaction was because of the
“coalition compulsions”.
As has become evident to the voter,
the Congress permitted loot and plunder of the nation’s resources without any
qualms just for the sake of wielding political power and authority. The loot
need not only be by its party men; even its allies could help themselves and make
unscrupulous money. Manmohan Singh’s regime was exposed doing it in Delhi and now Chavan has gone and confessed doing the same
in Maharashtra.
A very poor commentary for a party
that has wielded power at the Centre and in the States for most of the
post-independence period! Presumably, whenever it had to relinquish power it
probably bequeathed its expertise to its successors who also made merry. No
wonder the political class is so rich today. And again, unsurpringly ambitious
people would give away their right hands to be in politics only for its power
and consequential pelf.
Politicians are generally
circumspect with journalists and mouth inconsequential inanities, taking care
not to be offending anybody, especially a political partner with whom a
government was run till only the other day As they say, there are no permanent
friends and foes in politics and nobody knows when today’s enemy becomes a
political supporter tomorrow. And, yet the interview was marked by its
forthrightness, actually calling a spade a spade. Perhaps, hereafter the Pawar
clan and its NCP or even Ashok Chavan, another of Prithiviraj’s predecessors,
will think hard before associating themselves with the likes of the latter in
the Congress.
The interview was as candid as it
could ever be. Admitting that the “Adarsh” probe had brought as many as three
of his predecessors, viz. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok
Chavan under the scanner, Prithiviraj said that if he had sent all of them to
jail it could have hit the Congress organisation leading to probably a “split”.
He also said that as the CBI was already looking into Ashok Chavan’s role his
government could not have possibly instituted another inquiry.
He literally nailed Ajit Pawar, his
deputy in the government. The great Irrigation scam had been festering for
quite some time – actually ever since Ajit Pawar got the charge of water
resources department. Curiously, he was in charge of the department for as many
as 15-odd years, apparently first as a minister and then as deputy chief
minister during which, according to the government’s Economic Survey, there was
nothing to show for the Rs. 42000 crore that were spent during his long tenure.
Chavan, instead of ordering a probe, seems to have asked the department to
produce a white paper with all the facts.
This was construed as a charge sheet
by Ajit Pawar. Then, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising, inter alia,
all parties was set up the findings of which, too, were scuppered by Pawar.
Chavan said, “I could have been proactive and I
could have insisted that it was a judicial commission and that Pawar should be
summoned and questioned. But I was running an alliance… my hands were tied.”
Pawar found setting up of SIT obnoxious and resigned but, as an afterthought,
quite shamelessly rejoined the cabinet. “I could not have put my foot down. The
government would have come down at that moment. I was also the leader of the
alliance”, said Chavan.
Narendra Modi has
described the NCP as a “naturally corrupt party”, which is largely true. Sharad
Pawar holding the Food portfolio for two terms of five years was never
investigated for his wheeling and dealings. Even Praful Patel, allegedly the
killer of “Maharaja” of Air India,
too, was never investigated. Perhaps at the Centre, too, the same
considerations as in Maharashtra prevailed and
the Congress too helped itself to part of the loot. But at the end, the voter
did see the Congress as a big-timer in corruption and showed it the door! Will the new Government
make a note? -- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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