Barely five days after the swearing-in ceremony, differences between Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on the style of functioning surfaced today.
Pawar, who is known for his quick decision making, did not wait for Chavan but held a meeting with the bureaucrats on the issues relating to law and order and damage caused to the kharif crops due to untimely rainfall across the state.
The new deputy chief minister asked the officials to provide immediate relief to the farmers and carry out field visits to supervise the relief operations. Chavan's meeting started only after 6 pm when concerned bureaucrats had received directions from thedeputy chief minister.
On the law and order situation on the eve of Id celebrations, Pawar had asked the home department officials and district and city police chiefs to remain alert and take action against the violators of the law. He directed that the Id celebrations should take place incident free and lapses from the administration would not be tolerated.
“Extended rainfall in various parts of Maharashtra has damaged standing crops. I reviewed the region wise situation and directed the administration to take immediate relief measures to benefit the farmers,” Pawar told Business Standard.
Meanwhile, Chavan, who flew from Delhi after holding discussions with the party high command on the list of party members to be included in the council of ministers, held meeting with the government officials after 6 pm on the same issues. A senior bureaucrat, who does not want to be quoted, said “We once again made presentation on damage caused due to crops and the law and order measures as done to the deputy chief minister.”
The bureaucrat noted that Pawar had already gathered information on his own, while Chavan had to be explained each and every thing in detail. He admitted that Chavan and Pawar had totally different style of functioning but it should not affect the administration.
More From This Section
Meanwhile, Pawar reiterated that the government would take a stern action against the bureaucrats involved in the Adarsh housing scam.
A state government official said the government might ask Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari and State Human Rights Commission member Subhash Lala to resign from their respective posts.
The charge is that Tiwari during his tenure of additional chief secretary of urban development allegedly used his position for the allotment of flat in Adarsh society. In case of Lala he also sued the influence for the allocation of flat to his relatives.