MUMBAI: The crackdown by ACB (Anti Corruption Bureau) of Maharashtra on the property empire of former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal has unnerved the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Sharad Pawar.

The raids on 19 properties of Bhujbal,his son Pankaj and nephew Samir spread over four cities- Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nasik-- reveal amassing of huge wealth running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

This has become a hot topic for discussion in political circles, particularly in Maharashtra where action was awaited for a long time now. The Congress-NCP coalition simply turned its blind eye to him, and other corrupt ministers and politicians who were busy siphoning off the state's wealth.

When Bhujbal was writing a response to the charges, his hawala transactions came to light. The Enforcement Directorate initiated action against him and his family members for transferring Rs.30 crores to Singapore through hawala transactions for setting up two companies. His explanations cut no ice with the people. Bhujbal is a big fish and the BJP has tried to net him quite successfully. Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis's remarks '' Aage Aage Dekhiye, hota hai kya ( keep looking what happen next)”, suggest that the story is not over yet.

As if that was not enough, on June 18, the BJP gave another shock to the NCP by sacking Trupti Malwi, mayor of Kolhapur,for rampant corruption. The announcement was made by Urban Development minister Ranjit Patil. Malwi had been arrested on February 5 on charges of corruption and the state government was probing into her misdeeds for the last three months. This is the first ever action of its kind in the history of the Kolhapur municipal corporation.

It may be recalled that BJP had survived a vote of confidence with the tacit support of NCP in the legislative assembly and had not bothered about the Shiv Sena's backing. The question that was being asked then was, whether a weak chief minister would be able to take on the powerful NCP. Would he initiate a probe against Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and Sunil Tatkare who were embroiled in number of controversies and scams? The balance of power steadily shifted in favor of the BJP, with the much humiliated Shiv Sena joining the government and giving it a sense of stability.

Since then, Fadnavis has not looked back. Congress party's agitational approach under the leadership of state president Ashok Chavan has failed to make an impact so far. The Congress party continues to struggle for a place in state politics.

Fadnavis, meanwhile, has become a blue eyed boy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi saw to it that he accompanied him on crucial foreign visits to China, Switzerland and Germany. There is virtually no rival to him at present. Eknath Khadse, Minister of Revenue and Excise, who tried to challenge him has been silenced.

Ordering a probe against Bhujbal is part of a two pronged strategy. Firstly, it is a signal to Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare that the axe may fall on them in the not so distant future.

Secondly, for the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis seems to have become tougher to deal with. Though the NCP has backed Bhujbal and said that it will stand by him, party supremo Sharad Pawar has yet to speak the last word.

With this action does Fadnavis acquire the desired image of no nonsense man? Does it mean, the bonhomie between Modi and Pawar that was evident during Modi's visit to Baramati is over? Answers to these questions will have to wait. Pawar has recently toughened his stand on the Land Acquisition bill and has been battling for farmers issues. Thus, his party may go with the rest of opposition when the bill comes for voting in Rajya Sabha.

According to a source close to the chief minister, Fadnavis continues to follow Modi's steps, imitating his style of governance. Like the PMO, there is a CMO. The Maharashtra Chief Minister has inducted outside talent in order to improve efficiency and speed up decisions and actions. Social media expert and young politician Nindi Kamdar (27), management consultant Kaustubh Davsare (36) and policy analyst Priya Khan (39) who form part of the CMO are young and dynamic. He thinks that new ideas can enrich work ethics and bring 'out of the box thinking.' In the next two years, he wants to race ahead of Gujarat. Would that really be possible?

Fadnavis continues to face opposition from coalition partners Ramdas Athwale of the RPI (A), Mahadev Jankar ( Rashtriya Samaj Paksh) and Raju Shetty of Swabhimani Paksha. None of them have been included in his cabinet. Fuming and fretting Athawale announced last week, that he was not interested in any position as none of his demands were accepted by the state or the central government. Open criticism of these leaders, however, does not pose threat to his government. One wonders whether any one of them would be inducted in the proposed cabinet expansion after the monsoon session of assembly which is due to commence in July.

( Vijay Naik is the Consulting Editor, Sakal Papers, New Delhi)

Latest News