Maharashtra’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has expressed its displeasure over the timing of the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ (MoEF’s) move to issue a ‘stop work’ notice to Lavasa Corporation for its alleged irregularities and subsequent attack against the party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for his alleged link with the project.
“The timing is crucial, especially when the ruling Congress party at the Centre is in a big trouble due to the 2G spectrum scam and also because of its rout in the recent assembly elections in Bihar. In Maharashtra, though the Congress has replaced Ashok Chavan by Prithviraj Chavan as the new chief minister in the wake of the Adarsh housing scam expose, the party is struggling to cope up with the situation,” a senior NCP leader said.
At the same time, NCP has vowed to stand behind its chief. State NCP President Madhukar Pichad told Business Standard: “NCP will go on the offensive on this issue and stand behind the party chief. The party is well prepared to counter any malicious campaign against its supremo. We will strongly put up our case both in and outside the state legislature.”
NCP clearly indicated that it would follow the path taken by its ally Congress party, which has been behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the controversy over the 2G spectrum scam.
However, an All India Congress Committee member, who did not want to be quoted, recalled that former revenue minister Narayan Rane had clarified that the government could regularise illegal developments, if any, at the Lavasa hill city by charging the developer a huge fine. “Although Rane is no more the revenue minister, the government led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will have to make its stand clear on this issue,” he added.
The Opposition alliance of the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already fired the salvo against NCP and Pawar and has also announced to raise the issue in the Winter Session of the state legislature, beginning on December 1 in Nagpur. Pawar faces the allegation that he was one of the beneficiaries of the Lavasa project, and due to his approval illegal development took place in the hill city.
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When contacted, the NCP patriarch reiterated that he was not connected with the Lavasa hill city project. On the MoEF’s move to issue the stop work notice, he said: “Lavasa Corporation will reply to the notice. How am I concerned? What I learnt is that MoEF has served the notice to Lavasa Corporation after NGOs met the minister Jairam Ramesh,” he said.
Pawar has already clarified that during his chief ministership, he took the initiative for developing new tourist spots in Maharashtra and Lavasa was selected as a part of that exercise. He had also made it clear that at the initial stage of the project, his son-in-law Sadanand Sule had held some shares.
Moreover, NCP’s ‘trouble-shooter’ and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said he did not see any attempt from the Congress party to destabilise NCP or Pawar on the Lavasa issue. “Why should the Congress party do it? We are a small party and ally in the United Progressive Alliance. Pawar saab has already made his position quite clear on this issue,” he said.