After talks between the Tatas, the West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over the small car project in Singur failed, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was the first off the block in inviting the Tatas to his state. And while counting the advantages Maharashtra has over West Bengal, Deshmukh had said in a lighter vein: “We don’t have politicians like Mamata Banerjee”.
But going by the recent record of politicians from the state, including Deshmukh, Revenue Minister Narayan Rane and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, it would appear that Maharashtra doesn’t need Banerjee to vitiate its industrial climate.
In the first week of August, Rane had lashed out at Deshmukh over the state government’s decision to allot 100 hectares of land to Videocon Industries in Navi Mumbai at a price that was allegedly much below the market rate.
However, Deshmukh managed to have his way in the state cabinet despite opposition from Rane and reservations by some ministers. This resulted in Rane submitting his resignation to the party high command.
Rane’s threat to resign from the cabinet sent the ruling establishment in a tizzy and governance took the back seat with both Rane and Deshmukh getting busy in countering each other’s moves before the party high command in Delhi.
Deshmukh had his “revenge” over Rane last week when he ordered a referendum in 22 villages of Pen taluka in Raigad district over Mumbai SEZ.
Last year, after an agitation by some anti-SEZ activists, the chief minister had assured that would withdraw the notification for land acquisition. However, Rane ignored his assurance and, citing technical reasons, did not withdraw the notification for land acquisition.
Political one-upmanship between Rane and Deshmukh is going to cost the state dear and if it continues, Maharashtra, which has already lost the number one position in attracting industrial investment, will slide further, says Maharashtra BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
However, state Congress spokesman Anant Gadgil denied there was any politics of one-upmanship behind the state government’s decision to hold the referendum.
“The state government decided to order a referendum to ensure we don’t have situations like Nandigram and Singur. And it will be wrong to blame Rane for protest march taken out by some other parties,” he said.
Rane’s threat to resign from the cabinet sent the entire ruling establishment of the state in a tizzy and governance took the back burner with both Rane and Deshmukh with their respective supporters getting busy in countering each other’s moves before the High Command in Delhi.
During the budget session of the state legislature earlier this year, when the SEZ policy was discussed, Rane spiritedly replied to all the objections of opposition on the SEZ policy in general and Mumbai SEZ in particular.
Commenting upon state government’s decision to hold a referendum, sources close to Rane commented: “we examined all the provisions of Land Acquisition Act and the SEZ Act but found no provision in the law for a referendum. But there are some very learned people in our government who took the decision in their wisdom. They will get the lesson of their life when they have to face similar demands for other projects as well”.
Rane hit back with huge protest march on headquarters of CIDCO – the state governments agency for industrial and township development - in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Land owned by CIDCO is going to be allotted to Videcon’s LCD project.
Though officially protest march was organised by the parties like Republican Party of India, Peasants and Workers Party, Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) , the inspiration behind the march was Rane.
