Maharashtra politics: Brakes slammed on Ajit Pawar’s free run

Everything that comes from Dy CM Ajit Pawar’s (right) office will be scrutinised by Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis before forwarding it to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s office. File pics

Days after the state cabinet had to withdraw an ordinance to regulate membership of cooperatives at the behest of Ajit Pawar, the second deputy chief minister's decision that goes against the BJP-controlled sugar cooperatives has been scrapped following the first Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's intervention.

In another development initiated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the government files that go to the Finance Minister Ajit Pawar for approval, will be mandatorily forwarded to Fadnavis, who after due diligence, will route them to the CM for the final nod.

Unrest in BJP

The six sugar cooperatives controlled by BJP leaders had protested the conditions that were forced on them to avail the government guarantee on the debt secured from the National Cooperative Development Corporation. The total amount of loan was Rs 549.54 crore.

Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis

The conditions, released on August 21, demanded a letter of collective and individual responsibility from the board of directors. It also asked to put up the mill land as collateral and gave the government the right to sign documents. A delegation led by Union Minister of State for Railways Raosaheb Danve met Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar, following which the conditions were withdrawn.

Other than Danve, former Deputy CM Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, Harshvardhan Patil (two mills), MLA Abhimanyu Pawar and MP Dhananjay Mahadik, control the sugar
cooperatives in question.

Fixed route for files

CM Shinde's order to route files through a proper channel - Ajit to Fadnavis to CMO - seems to have its genesis in the need for better understanding between the three partners who tend to accuse one another of interference or favouritism towards their own ilk.

In the earlier system, policy files and proposals from the finance department would straightaway be sent to the CMO. Every department needs the finance department's approval. Henceforth, one more level of scrutiny has been added to balance things politically.

Former finance minister Fadnavis will go through whatever comes from Ajit Pawar's office, suggest changes or approve files as they are, before sending them to Shinde, the final authority.

There have been reports of the finance minister interfering with the CM's job. Murmurs of bickering in the Mahayuti (BJP-Shinde-Ajit) over issues, mostly related to the new deputy chief minister, have made headlines recently. In response, Ajit had insisted that he, as the finance minister, held the right to review each department and his efforts are supplementary to the CM's.

Recently, a BJP senior Chandrakant Patil is said to have been upset because he thought Ajit had overstepped his authority as the guardian minister of Pune district.
Even before Ajit Pawar joined the BJP-Shinde government, Sena rebels had, in one of the allegations, blamed their shift last year on the minister. They had accused Pawar of denying them development funds and favouring his own partymen.

They had blamed the then CM Uddhav Thackeray for turning a blind eye towards Ajit Pawar. No wonder, then, that the Shinde group was opposed to the NCP leader being given the all-important finance department that was held by Fadnavis. The policy proposals/files that impact state coffers, the proposals for the cabinet and the draft bills/ordinance for legislative approval, tax revision, revenue generation-related proposals, new plans to avail loans, reports of inquiry panels are some of the many issues that have been specified by the CMO for the new route.