Cong high command caps Maharashtra's sop drive

The Congress high command (read Sonia Gandhi) has placed curbs on the Maharashtra government disbursing any more sops and incentives to various segments of its potential electorate in the run up to the assembly elections scheduled for October.

A fallout of this was seen yesterday when the cabinet meeting failed to clear a proposal seeking to extend incentives for industry upto 2004 as well as one for setting up a public health centre in Sangli.

Confirming this, a political source said, "While the last several cabinet meetings were choc-a-block with clearances being given to a slew of proposals that would benefit various sections (mainly the agriculturists), on Monday the cabinet meeting witnessed chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde putting his foot down. He stated categorically that the party high command has taken strong exception to the flurry of concessions being announced by the state government in the run up to assembly elections."

According to the source, the chief minister has been pulled up for pursuing a subsidy culture even as the world moves towards privatisation initiatives.

Shinde offered mediapersons a slightly different tale. "The financial situation of the state is worsening and hence it does not permit us to announce any more concessions that will adversely impact the state's fiscal health," he told mediapersons after the cabinet meeting on Monday.

The cabinet did, however, clear a proposal that includes, in addition to free medicine, hearing aids, callipers, crutches and other aid to disabled senior citizens.