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PRAFULLA MARPAKWAR
MUMBAI, NOV 3: From expansion to expansion, reshuffle to reshuffle and crisis to crisis, Vilasrao Deshmukh's rollercoaster ride as the Chief Minister has hit another bump. And this one's so nasty, it could throw the Congress-NCP bandwagon off the track.
The culprit once again seems to be the NCP whose latest demand that all the files marked for the chief minister be routed through Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal left even the very accommodating Deshmukh stunned.
Justifying the demand, NCP spokesman and Excise Minister Vasant Chavan said: ``We have urged the Chief Minister to route all the files submitted to him through Bhujbal purely for the sake of information. Bhujbal will not express any opinion on the files either orally or in writing, but at least he will be aware of major policy decisions being taken at the Chief Minister's level.''
Chavan said as per the existing practice all the files, pertaining to policy decisions as well as inter-departmental disputes are submitted to theChief Minister for final approval. ``There is no way for the Deputy Chief Minister to know about the proposals ...under such circumstances, it will be appropriate if the files are routed through him,'' Chavan explained.
Admitting that under the Rules of Business, it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister alone to take a final decision and there is no provision for files being routed either through the Deputy Chief Minister or any other the cabinet minister, Chavan said, ``since there is no such provision, we have requested that the files should be routed for the sake of information but final authority will still rest with the Chief Minister.''
Chavan also said the demand has been communicated to the Chief Minister, but so far he has not commented on it. ``We are sure we will resolve the issue amicably after Diwali and this demand will not lead to any crisis,'' Chavan added.
The NCP spokesman, who was the Law Minister during Congress rule, observed that certain files of the Tribal Development as wellas Social Welfare Department are routed through the concerned minister and as such, there was nothing wrong in asking that the files be routed through the Deputy Chief Minister.
However, senior bureaucrats have strongly opposed Bhujbal's demand, saying, it will set a bad precedent and will create an additional power centre. ``The rules of business are very clear. They specifically state the powers of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues and if the demand is accepted it will be an encroachment on the rights and prerogatives of the Chief Minister,'' a senior official said.
On Chavan's contention that tribal development and social welfare files marked for chief minister are routed through the concerned ministers, the official said since there is a separate budget for the Tribal Development department under the tribal sub-plan, it is obligatory to route the files through the Tribal Development Minister.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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