New Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan tells Aditi Phadnis and Saubhadra Chatterji he knows people want him to fail, but he’s determined to prove them wrong...
How different is it going to be as a chief minister after your stint at the Prime Minister’s Office?
It is the greatest honour for any political worker to be made chief minister. I am humbled. But, while in Delhi I was one among eighty ministers, here the spotlight is on me alone. I’ve already had a taste of it — I was waiting to be sworn in and, since I had very little rest, I thought I should at least comb my hair before going to the dais. The minute I took out my comb, I found hundreds of flashes going off simultaneously. That became the picture of the day in the newspapers the next day, with captions like ‘Prithviraj on a combing operation’.
But on a more serious note, I always have to be on guard. The Bhartiya Janata Party is leaving no stone unturned to dig up dirt and, even if I make the slightest mistake, it will not be excused. Earlier, I could be more relaxed with media friends. Now that’s a luxury.
Our information is Balasaheb Vikhe Patil got the highest number of votes in the Congress Legislature Party meeting, followed by support for Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushil Kumar Shinde. Not a single legislator directly proposed your name. That’s both good and bad. What do you think?
I am not sure if that is quite correct. A majority of the legislators asked the High Command to take the decision. But yes, it’s both a good and a bad thing. All I know is, my party has given me this assignment. I was never an aspirant for this post. In fact, I never had the slightest hint that I would be shifted to Maharashtra. So, even if nobody wanted me there and I am there, I think it’s a great honour.
What is Ashok Chavan’s future? Will he find a place in your Cabinet?
I can’t discuss Cabinet formation. Nor do I want to say anything about a party colleague. Cabinet formation will take place as per the directions of the High Command.
But you are already getting a taste of factionalism within the Congress. You were unable to swear in any Congress minister along with you when you took oath. How are you going to tackle the various power centres in the Maharashtra Congress?
It’s a wrong impression that, because of factional issues, no other Congress minister took oath. We had decided earlier that only the chief minister will take oath and other Congress ministers will be sworn in later. This was decided by the High Command in Delhi and not decided in Mumbai. So, these reports are nonsense.
But yes, there is huge opposition because those who don’t have a good track record are afraid they will be dropped. And they’re right. They will be dropped.
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I am going to Maharashtra with an open mind. It is a difficult task and I know I will be stepping on toes. I will be a threat to ‘business as usual’. I know people who have vested interests also see me as a threat. But I have been told to give a competent, efficient and transparent administration. That is my mandate.
What will you do about the Adarsh Housing scam? The defence ministry has ordered a CBI inquiry. Will the inquiry look into all aspects of the scam?
I think CBI will look only into the role of the Armed Forces’ officers. My perspective on this is, giving a plot of land to a co-operative society is not illegal. Yes, there can be a moral and ethical issue if you have signed a file to change the ownership pattern and then your son gets a flat. What is legal is different from what is ethical. We will look into these issues of linkages. The party has also made it clear that Adarsh is a state issue and not a Central issue.
As chief minister, what will be your economic and political priorities?
I have held a meeting with secretaries of the state government just to acquaint myself with the problems and issues. The Navi Mumbai (airport) will be my top priority. I am pleading with the environment minister to let us go ahead with it. But improving demographic and social parameters will be a concern. Maharashtra is the second-largest state in terms of area of population. There is no reason why it can’t climb back to the first or second position on all parameters.
Of course, Mumbai needs urgent attention. It is choking. During the last flood in Mumbai, the Prime Minister straightaway gave Rs 1,200 crore to improve the water management infrastructure. We call Mumbai an international finance centre and our financial capital. But images of people wading through neck-deep water certainly don’t reflect Mumbai’s financial glory. Something must be done about these issues.
I also find that several contracts are lying incomplete, even though they have been awarded. In many cases, it is a problem of under-bidding where the contractors bid low to get the contract and now can’t execute the work-order. In other cases, the contracts were won because of over-bidding. This has to be sorted out. I am going to introduce innovative financial mechanisms.
As you come from Western Maharashtra, do you think your appointment as the chief minister will revive the Congress in an area that has been a bastion of Sharad Pawar?
I will certainly try to revive the Congress everywhere in Maharashtra. We have been weak in Western Maharashtra where the fight is between NCP and the Congress. There is no threat from the Shiv Sena. This might not make NCP very happy, but we have to strengthen our party.
You are seen as a polite, soft spoken person. You never lose your temper. But your deputy, Ajit Pawar, is the very opposite. He is known as a very aggressive Maratha politician. So is the Opposition under the Shiv Sena and BJP. How will you tackle these forces?
I don’t give back abuse. BJP has already proved that being abusive has its own problems. After the gratuitous attack on Sonia Gandhi, K Sudarshan of RSS had to apologise. About the Shiv Sena, there is nothing much to say.
Both you and Ajit Pawar are Marathas based in Western Maharashtra. How will you balance the regional and caste aspirations?
Don’t look at Maharashtra politics through the North Indian prism. In states like UP or Bihar, caste and regional representations might be required to keep a balance. But Maharashtra voters are mature and it is a different state. In NCP, for instance, the top leadership has always been Maratha, from Western Maharashtra. The Congress is a national party and has to keep in mind the social and regional balance. But it also has to reward merit.
Last time, the Congress had kept five ministerial berths vacant. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep so many berths vacant. I may keep one or two berths vacant. The ministry will be represented by both young and experienced faces. I expect to announce it on Monday or Tuesday.
