Hazare keeps Maharashtra in limelight in 2011

The year's biggest newsmaker Anna Hazare, sweeping of civic polls by the ruling Congress-NCP alliance despite some strain and setback to some key leaders in these elections besides the 'rebellion' of Gopinath Munde dominated Maharashtra's political landscape in 2011.

74-year-old Hazare was the most-talked about Maharashtrian during the year. "I Am Anna Hazare" slogan was likened to the "We Are All Khaled Said" campaign of the Egypt uprising that toppled the Hosni Mobarak regime, and to some, Delhi's Ramlila Maidan resembled Cairo's Tahrir Square. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Industries Minister Narayan Rane, both from Congress, suffered personal setbacks in municipal council elections, which otherwise saw strong performances by the ruling Congress-NCP combine.


Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's remark that Congress agreeing to give the key Home portfolio to NCP was a mistake, brought to the fore the underlying unease in state's ruling coalition.
"I think it was a mistake. We should have relooked at it. I don't know of any other coalition government where the portfolios of Home, Finance and Planning are not with the chief minister," he had said.

Chavan's remarks made at a time when home minister RR Patil (NCP), who had to quit after the 26/11 terror attacks, was under fire over the July 13 Mumbai blasts, added to the discomfiture of his party's ally.

In June, the appointment of Vikas Mathkari as president of BJP's Pune unit led to a buzz that senior leader Munde, who disfavoured it, was leaving the party.

In April 2008, Munde had quit all party posts to protest against the appointment of Nitin Gadkari supporter Madhu Chavan as the BJP's Mumbai unit president. Munde was later persuaded to withdraw his resignation. Lok Sabha and assembly elections were due in 2009 and the party could not afford an important non-Brahmin leader leaving it. However, this time around Gadkari was himself at the helm of affairs in the BJP. With no major elections round the corner in Maharashtra, the BJP leadership decided not to humour Munde and what looked like a bang ended in a whimper.

Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam's statement that north Indian Mumbaikars can, if they choose to, bring the city to a halt sparked off a controversy, with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and his estranged cousin MNS chief Raj condemning him in one voice for playing the "Hindi card" in view of the BMC elections, due in February.

"North Indians play a crucial role in Mumbai. We are told that we, Hindi-speaking migrants, are a burden on Mumbai. This is not true. Actually, it is we who bear Mumbai's burden. If north Indians make up their mind, they can bring Mumbai to a halt," Nirupam had said.

Maharashtra saw statewide protests after the attack on Sharad Pawar in Delhi. Rasta roko were held in various parts, including Pawar's hometown Baramati in Pune district. Hazare's controversial reaction, "Just one slap?", enraged NCP workers who staged protests at Ralegan Siddhi.

Eyebrows were raised over Indiabulls' donation of Rs 2.5 crore to the Bhujbal foundation, headed by Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, which holds the Nashik Festival.

Anna has become rigid: Prithviraj Chavan

New Delhi:  He's been a hero to many, but Anna Hazare has had to counter a fair share of criticism too. Here's some more, from Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who says the Gandhian activist has become rigid of late. And political.

Mr Chavan's party, the Congress, is under huge pressure from Anna Hazare and his team to pass the Lokpal Bill in Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session. Mr Hazare has not only said that he will begin another mass agitation after the session ends if the Bill is not passed, he has also made it clear that he expects key provisions in that Bill to be defined as he has sought. Back in Maharashtra, Mr Chavan himself has been challenged by Anna to bring in an anti-corruption law that mirrors one in BJP-led Uttarakhand.

Not likely, says the Maharashtra CM, who has negotiated with Anna Hazare earlier and says the activist was more flexible then. "He has always been very conciliatory, very understanding discussing negotiations...What is  happening now, he has been advised by various forces to be very rigid, he wasn't rigid at all."

Mr Chavan, appearing on the show The Buck Stops Here, also insists that Mr Hazare has become political now. "Also political. I made a very strong comment when one of a very close supporter of Anna Hazare participated in Hisar elections, broke all the promises." He insists the role that Team Anna played in the Hisar bye-elections, where they asked voters to vote against the Congress earlier this year was tantamount to "participation". He says, "He did not contest the elections, but he said that get this party elected, so it was an active participation in elections. When you have given a deadline to Central government and the Central government has accepted that, I think that should have been honoured, because that time another election was going on right in Maharashtra. They didn't take part there. It was an opportunistic decision, because they knew that Congress is not likely to win, and they jumped in, just to show that Anna Hazare can make a difference in the elections."

The CM prefaces all his criticism with praise for the anti-corruption activist. He readily credits Anna Hazare with having got important laws passed in the state. "I must credit him by giving him the credit for some laws we have passed. For example, the RTI was passed in Maharashtra three years back. It was taken in Delhi, Anna Hazare contributed to that. Against transfer of government officials, where we can't transfer an official and transfer happens in month of April and May, he has contributed to that."

Here is a transcript of Mr Chavan's comments on Anna Hazare:


Barkha: Do you think that Anna Hazare would be a factor for you in these elections, because he has been agitating against you from time to time?

Chavan: We have a long history of working with Anna Hazare and I must credit him by giving him the credit for some laws we have passed. For example, the RTI was passed in Maharashtra three years back. It was taken in Delhi, Anna Hazare contributed to that. Against transfer of government officials, where we can't transfer an official and transfer happens in month of April and May, he has contributed to that. But he has always been very conciliatory, very understanding discussing negotiations.

Barkha: That may not be the Centre's perception of him?

Chavan: That is not. What is happening now, he has been advised by various forces to be very rigid, he wasn't rigid at all. I have also dealt with him earlier, on fast that we carried out for him for file RTI notings. The Central government ultimately accepted his position and he broke the fast. So I think we have had working relationships.

Barkha: So you think that he was not rigid earlier, but now he has become?

Chavan: Also political. I made a very strong comment when one of a very close supporter of Anna Hazare participated in Hisar elections, broke all the promises.

Barkha: Not participated, but asked for a boycott of Congress

Chavan: No participated. He did not contest the elections, but he said that get this party elected, so it was an active participation in elections. When you have given a deadline to Central government and the Central government has accepted that, I think that should have been honoured, because that time another election was going on right in Maharashtra. They didn't take part there. It was an opportunistic decision, because they knew that Congress in not likely to win, and they jumped in, just to show that Anna Hazare can make a difference in the elections. I don't think that he is going to make any difference. The points that he has raised are very valid.

Barkha: Have you opened any dialogue with him in the last few months?

Chavan: I am in touch with him.

Barkha: Do you talk, do you meet?

Chavan: Not specially. I met him twice officially in a delegation mode, and he had raised some issues, and we are considering that. He has been keeping writing to me, many letters, particularly about Lokayukta, and we are seriously considering them.

Barkha: They have asked you to follow the Uttarakhand model?

Chavan: No I have told him, very clearly, that we will go by Central government's model law, or if the Central government embeds the overall Lokayukta with the overall Lokpal legislation, that will be the best. That's what I have advised Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Central leadership.

Anna Hazare not a poll factor: Prithviraj Chavan

MUMBAI: Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare would not have a big impact on the elections to the various urban local bodies in the state.

Most of the civic polls in the state will take place between December this year and March next year. The BMC election will be held in February.

Speaking to a select group of mediapersons, Chavan said, "While corruption and price rise will be factors, concerns over these have existed even before Hazare started his Lokpal movement." He said Lokpal alone will not weed out corruption. "There is a need for a grand architecture against corruption," he said. Chavan also disapproved of the use of emotive issues like the Marathi versus North Indian debate as a poll plank.

Not happy to file plaint against Lavasa Chavan said he was not happy to file a criminal complaint against Lavasa Corporation but did so following a court directive. He had requested the Centre to grant environmental clearance to the projects only after fulfillment of all conditions prescribed by the Centre. Chavan admitted that adequate attention was not paid to environmental clearance while approving certain projects in the past.

Tried hard to get Maruti plant

The CM said the state was in touch with Maruti for setting up a plant in the state. Maruti, however, chose Mundhra in Gujarat, citing better port connectivity. Chavan admitted to delays in development of small ports in the state, while dispelling the belief that businesses were shifting out of Maharashtra. "The state remains a leader in investment and industrialization," he said, while insisting on maintaining quality of investment to retain edge over other states.

New formula for Navi Mumbai airport?

Admitting that acquisition of land was a challenge for projects like the Navi Mumbai international airport and Mihan, Chavan hinted at a new formula for project-affected people in the Navi Mumbai project. He said that the option of permitting PAPs a regular share from profits was under consideration.

On a year as coalition head

Counting initiatives to bring in fiscal discipline and transparency in administration, Chavan downplayed the criticism meted out on delays in decision-making by claiming that his government had focused on complicated policy changes, which had been pending. Admitting to challenges in running a coalition, he controversially remarked that some ministers ran departments as if they were owners. Coordination at times got difficult but such things are present in all coalitions, he said. He, however, refused to drop any names.

Anna Hazare slams Chavan, says fighting elections not enough

RALEGAN SIDDHI: Anna Hazare  has taken exception to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan's remarks that his team should come out in the open on joining politics, asking him whether only those who fight elections can speak against corruption.

"Now it is being said that Anna should fight elections. Does it mean that if somebody is speaking against corruption, he has to fight elections? If so, then 120 crore people in the country should stand for elections and they can speak against corruption only after that," he said.

He said politicians have fought elections but nobody has done anything to put a brake on corruption. "In the past 62 years, you have not brought a law that can fight corruption," he said.

His remarks came as a response to Chavan's remarks that it was "amply clear" that Hazare's associates want to join politics and asked them to be open about it.

"If you want to take part in politics, you must join it; politics will be enriched. It is now amply clear that his associates want to join politics," Chavan said.

"A clear stance should be taken, whether to contest elections or to support (someone) in elections. But, there is no point in taking a negative stance, that if the (Jan Lokpal) bill is not passed, I will oppose ( Congress)," he said.

At Congress meet, flak directed at Anna movement

NAGPUR: Alarmed over overwhelming support to Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption, Congress leaders chose to blast the civil society in order to enthuse their cadres for civic elections in 2012. Mohan Prakash, Congress in-charge for the state, alleged that NRI's protests against corruption in foreign countries was aimed at tarnishing India's image in international arena.

Prakash, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, wondered why the civil society activists were mum on Gujarat government's reaction to appointment of a lokayukta. He repeatedly invoked the name of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, an icon of Dalits, to denounce the civil society movement. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and other Congress ministers, addressing the convention of Congress office bearers of Vidarbha's local bodies at Deshpande Hall, also slammed Anna's supporters. They questioned BJP's credentials to make allegations of corruption against UPA. Ramdeo Baba also drew flak from them.

The party had organized the convention in view of coming elections of zilla parishads, municipal councils and corporations in 2012. In spite of series of scams, Prakash claimed that Congress was the most honest party in the country. "These intellectuals conveniently ignore the contribution of our party in development of our country. We have empowered the Dalits, Muslims, backward classes and marginalized and backward classes," he said.

"The country has seen amazing progress under Congress. In 1950, it had only 80,000 telephone connections. Now there are 85 crore mobile and landline connections. How can somebody ignore such facts," he asked. The leader stressed that the party was committed to eradication of corruption in the country but did not explain how this would be done.

Without naming BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, Prakash said that those who spend crores on a three day mega wedding should not talk about corruption. "Everybody knows whose private aircraft landed in Nagpur to save Jharkhand government," he said.

Prakash issued a veiled threat to city's top Congress leaders, who were instrumental in party's abysmal show in 2007 civic elections, to stop infighting. "I appeal to you bury your differences. If Vilas Muttemwar, Nitin Raut, Anees Ahmed and Satish Chaturvedi can do so I think everybody else can," he said.

Give Anna security, his lawyer writes to CM

Advocate Milind Pawar, Anna Hazare’s lawyer in Pune, has written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Home Minister R R Patil demanding security for Hazare.

The letter sent on Sunday states, “Anna Hazare had undertaken an indefinite hunger strike at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. For the last 12 days, Anna along with his team and other volunteers had delivered speeches against the government and some people were upset with these speeches...I know Anna is against any security, but I think it is the duty of the government to take care of Anna...’

In April this year, too, Pawar had written to the CM demanding security for Hazare, but no action was taken on the request.

“Although Hazare is not a government servant, it is the government’s lookout as to how security can be granted to him considering this latest agitation. Everyone knows what happened to Gandhiji and it is now the government’s responsibility to safeguard Anna,” said Pawar. He added that it is not difficult for the government to give him special consideration and grant him security.

When Pawar had told Anna about this demand for security in April, he had dismissed it saying he did not need it. “However, after this 12-day fast, things have changed and he has become more vulnerable,” Pawar said.

Datta Awari, a close aide of Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi, said that the government had appointed four security personnel for Hazare after he had filed a police complaint against Padmasinh Patil, whom the NCP had suspended from the party in 2009, for allegedly conspiring to eliminate him. “However, considering the latest 12-day fast, there is definitely a need for improvised security for Anna,” said Awari.

Suresh Pathare, a confidant of Hazare who has been with him in Delhi, said it was up to the government to decide whether or not Anna needed security. “Demanding it is against Hazare’s ideology,” he added.