Further widening of the rift between the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra is expected, after the state pollution control board today filed criminal proceedings against the Lavasa Corporation's chairman Ajit Gulabchand and 14 others.
NCP is fuming over Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for this move, while the Congress party has adopted a wait and watch policy saying that the law would take its own course. Both, the Congress and NCP, have been engaged in verbal duel over the issues relating to the deteriorating power crisis, implementation of infrastructure projects, allocation of funds to under-developed Vidarbha and Marathwada and more recently, on carrying out works under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Today’s action is also being seen as the Congress party’s attempt to checkmate NCP supremo and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar ahead of elections in the 196 municipalities, 10 municipal corporations and 27 zilla parishad during December and March, next year. Pawar, during his tenure as the chief minister in 1994, had encouraged the hill city project. He has been consistently defending the project and openly supporting Gulabchand for the implementation of the same.
A Congress party minister, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard “Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is known Pawar baiter, has taken a huge political risk by resorting to this move. Pawar known for his political gimmicks may act swiftly. However, NCP may not resort to extreme level of withdrawal from both the Central and state governments ahead of the mini assembly elections. But Pawar and his close confidants will also not leave any opportunity to embarass the Congress party.”
He added the issue may further lead to more tensions between the two parties, especially, when the chief minister lacks administrative experience and he does not enjoy support from the partymen in the state.
“Today's action may hamper investment flow in the state which has to strive with various states in maintaining its pre-eminence. Already Gulabchand has raised his anguish over the matter in which his company has been singled out,” the minister said.
On the other hand, NCP is not keen to make any official comment at this point in time but it has left it to Pawar to handle the situation.
“Our view if quite clear that the project has been given in all 59 clearances and practically there has not been any communication between the Central and the state government during 2004 and 2010. Now suddenly, the issue violation of Environment Protection Act, 1986 has been raked up. In what way Pawar or our party are involved. It was the decision of the state government and not of Pawar in particular to encourage hill city. Congress party should not go overboard in isolating Pawar or NCP but try to take them into confidence especially when the UPA-II was sailing through a rough weather,” an NCP minister noted.
He opined that today's decision would not in any way hamper NCP's prospects in the coming civic and local body elections.
