Congress spices up Maharashtra’s politics

Sena mouthpiece Saamna expressed concern by suggesting Congress, which needed an aggressive face to lead its state unit, must have thought about not letting Nana Patole’s

The Congress has been aware of its nuisance value ever since it became part of the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra in 2019, but it followed restraint even as its member ministers and organisational workers accused the other alliance partners of treating them with inequality, and raised voices against unwarranted criticism of their party's top leadership. However, recent developments show that the Congress has made up its mind to play hard and get as much in bargain with the alliance partners. The Congress's decision of creating a vacancy of the Assembly Speaker's post has, for the time being, unsettled the alliance. There are mixed thoughts in the Congress. Some want the party to retain the Speaker's office; some want the Speaker's post to be bartered for the deputy chief minister's office; and some want both the DCM's and Speaker's offices. All of a sudden, a sublime aggression has replaced a subdued spirit in the Congress camp which last week got a new state unit president in a fiery Nana Patole, who had been the Speaker since inception of the MVA government.

Showdown if not sorted
Quite a showdown it is going to be if not negotiated properly, because the Congress's alliance partners aren't too interested in giving it more than what was agreed on in 2019. What's more, big brother, the Nationalist Congress Party, has kept up the pressure, arguing that the Speaker's post is now open to all and it should be discussed before deciding the beneficiary. The NCP and Shiv Sena have said that the Congress shouldn't have asked the Speaker to resign ahead of the Budget Session which starts on March 1. A hard-hitting editorial in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna said the Congress was given the office for five years and it shouldn't have vacated it at this point of time because it necessitated the elections which should have been avoided by any alliance government. It also added that the MVA should be careful about not letting the Speaker's election impact its majority, the Assembly and the government. It supported NCP chief Sharad Pawar's view that the three coalition partners would take decisions on the Speaker's post through negotiations. So, it is now evident that the NCP wouldn't take the Congress lying down and the Sena would follow suit. In all probability, the Sena and NCP might try to get the Speaker's election postponed. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has suggested that like in Madhya Pradesh, the Deputy Speaker could be allowed to officiate until a new Speaker is elected. Will the Congress agree?

Congress hits the bull's eye
Congress leaders say that their high command has been waiting for the right opportunity to get the the upper hand, and keep the NCP and Sena under check because the bigger partners are proving to be a roadblock in the Congress's outreach and revival efforts. They allege discrimination in allotting funds to the departments held by Congress ministers and the legislators, whereas the two others are working big time on their respective agendas of expansion and public welfare. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had taken note of the alleged discrimination and reminded CM Uddhav Thackeray to consider the MVA's common minimum programme with an emphasis on the Congress's concerns for implementing a programme for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in letter and spirit. Sonia wrote to Thackeray in December that she had been receiving suggestions (from the state Congress leaders) in connection with the policies and programmes for the welfare of the Dalits and Adivasis. "This is a very important commitment made in the Common Minimum Programme of the MVA alliance," she added. Now since Sonia and party's former president Rahul Gandhi have initiated a strong move over the Speaker's office, the Congress does appear to have something substantial up its sleeves. The Congress high command has definitely increased the workload of CM Thackeray and MVA's architect Sharad Pawar.

It's not just a bargain that is in the offing over the Speaker's post. The Congress stepping on the gas pedal by appointing Patole as Maharashtra unit's president has also upset the NCP and Sena. Former state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat earned kudos from the Sena and NCP because of his amiable demeanour which his party colleagues do not approve of all the time. The Sena mouthpiece expressed concern by suggesting that the Congress, which needed an aggressive face to lead the state unit, must have thought about not letting (Patole's) aggression take its extreme form (and become detrimental to the alliance).

BJP's threat
Watching a play within the MVA from the sidelines, the Bharatiya Janata Party has again threatened to dent the MVA. Will the BJP realise its dream of returning to power anytime soon? It is unlikely to happen, say many in political circles, adding that the current national scenario over the farmers' agitation does create a suitable atmosphere for a sizable chunk of MLAs to switch over to the BJP. It seems the ruling party at the Centre will have to wait till the MVA falls on its own.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com