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.

No Anna effect: Cong, NCP sweep Maha civic polls

Mumbai: It is a big sweep for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress in the Maharashtra civic polls with the parties winning as many as 80 local bodies.

The opposition parties, Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to bag just 14 civic bodies.
The results suggest that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and his campaign failed to have any affect on the elections.

The result is also interesting as the NCP and the Congress were not in an alliance in many regions.

Hazare non-issue in Maharashtra municipality polls

Social activist Anna Hazare’s mobilisation against corruption may have attracted global attention and forced the Centre to take note, but he seems to be a non-issue in the ongoing campaign for elections to the 196 municipalities in Maharashtra. Instead, the ruling Congress and NCP and Opposition Shiv Sena and BJP are focussing on development issues. Polling has been postponed from December 8 to December 11, 13 and 23 in these municipalities, in view of pending appeals for orders in various courts.

Campaigning is underway in full swing, with parties treating these polls as a mini Assembly election. After the municipality elections, they would have to step up campaigning for polls to the 10 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, slated for February and 27 zilla parishads in March next year.

While Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is touring extensively for the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is banking on deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Shiv Sena is trying to lure voters on issues such as a higher minimum support price of cotton, lack of sufficient power for agriculture and the administration’s apathy towards scarcity-hit areas. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Sena’s alliance partner, is also geared up to garner votes on government’s inaction. The Republican Party of India (Athavale), until recently an ally of Congress-NCP, has joined hands with Sena-BJP combine and striving to woo dalit votes. State NCP president, Madhukar Pichad, told Business Standard, “Generally, elections to the municipalities are contested on local issues. Our party does not see any impact of Hazare factor. NCP is working hard to reach out to the voters on developmental issues. We are not leaving any stone unturned to improve its position across the state.”
Pichad’s views are shared by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Sachin Sawant, who believes his party would benefit from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s clean image and his emphasis on transparency in administration. “The chief minister and state party chief Manikrao Thakre have been touring extensively. We are reaching out to voters with a slew of development initiatives taken by the central and state governments and do not see the Anna factor impacting our prospects,” he added.

A Shiv Sena MP said Hazare’s recent reaction to agriculture minister Sharad Pawar being attacked by a Sikh youth had sent an adverse signal to voters. “Party chief Bal Thackeray has written an editorial criticising Hazare’s stand in party’s mouthpiece Saamna. Shiv Sena is taking on the Congress-NCP alliance for its anti farmer and anti people policies,” he added.

NCP not happy with Hazare's arrest, says it was not proper

Leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key Congress ally at the Centre and in Maharashtra, on Saturday said that the arrest of social activist Anna Hazare was not proper and everyone had a right to express their feelings and opinions in a democratic society.

Speaking to the media, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who belongs to the NCP, said everyone has a right to express their opinion and also to go on a hunger strike. But to arrest someone even before he went on a fast was not correct and then later taking him to jail and asking to leave was improper, he pointed out. Mr. Pawar was speaking to the media after a Congressman from Ahmednagar Rajeev Rajale joined the NCP.

Earlier, NCP general secretary D.P. Tripathi too said that there was no need for Mr. Hazare's arrest. Besides, the Congress did not take its allies into confidence before this action, he added.

HE MADE IT KNOWN

Mr. Pawar said that Mr. Hazare had made his demands much in advance and already indicated that he would go on a hunger strike. Referring to Mr. Hazare's protests in Maharashtra, Mr. Pawar said that he had carried out many protests and fasts and the leadership had found a way out through mediation and discussion. He said even now when there were issues, he and the Chief Minister discussed and tried to resolve matters. However, he was not willing to get drawn into any criticism against the Centre.

Mr. Pawar said the Jan Lokpal bill was pending and since this was a democracy, elected representatives in the Parliament would discuss it later. He said if any expertise from the State was needed, then Maharashtra was well-represented in the Union Cabinet. The Centre was perfectly capable of taking decisions on its own. In fact, some time ago, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called a meeting of all the allies. When asked if he felt the Congress had not taken its allies into confidence, he said he would not comment on it.

‘NCP NOT UNLEASHED'

In response to questions, he said it was totally wrong to say that the NCP was being “unleashed” on the Congress as was reported in a section of the media. He clarified that the NCP was not against Mr. Hazare at all and everyone was for eradicating corruption. However, it must be done within a legal and constitutional framework. He said even the Prime Minister had accepted the need for a Jan Lokpal and it could be passed through the Parliament with amendments, if necessary. “There are no two opinions that corruption must be cleaned up and the bill such as this is can be debated,” he said.

Mr Pawar said that the current agitation of Mr. Hazare had kept political parties at bay and even their flags were not permitted. Anna's supporters were apolitical, he said.

MAVAL ISSUE

On the Maval issue, Mr. Pawar said he had condemned it in the State Legislative Assembly the very next day after the incident and both he and the Chief Minister had discussed the matter. Asked about Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's visit, he said that Mr. Gandhi was a leader and possibly a future Prime Minister and he went wherever there was an issue involving farmers. The NCP had already stated that the firing should not have happened.

When asked about proposed changes in the Home Ministry, Mr. Pawar said he had only read about it in the newspapers. There had been a lot of buzz that R.R. Patil was on his way out as the NCP was unhappy with his functioning. However, Mr. Pawar denied he went to New Delhi as was reported in the media and clarified there was no discussion on any change in the Home Ministry. If there was going to be any change, the party high command would decide and he was not going to meddle in it. And it will not be discussed with the media first, he pointed out.

NCP president Sharad Pawar is in the city to attend the Iftar party hosted by it. There are reports that he may visit Mawal en route Pune on Sunday.