Deshmukh pre-empts Sena strike, reshuffles cabinet

Deshmukh pre-empts Sena strike, reshuffles cabinet
PRAFULLA MARPAKWAR & SHAILESH GAIKWAD

MUMBAI, MARCH 8: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today hurriedly dropped some of his high-profile cabinet colleagues, accommodated rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs in the ministry and perhaps scuttled the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance's dream plan to topple the Congress-led Democratic Front government during the five-week budget session beginning on March 12.

Deshmukh dropped Agriculture Minister Ranjit Deshmukh, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Datta Meghe, Labour Minister Hussain Dalwai, Excise Minister Vasant Chavan and Minister of State for Culture N.P. Hirani, elevated Anil Deshmukh and Laxman Dhoble (both NCP) to the cabinet rank and inducted Satish Chaturvedi, Sayed Ahmad (both Congress), Vijay Kumar Gavit, Rajesh Tope, Rajendra Shingane and Hasan Miyalal Mushrif (all NCP). All the outgoing ministers are MLCs and the incoming are MLAs.

``We felt there was a major threat to the Democratic Front government during the budget session, therefore it was decided to reshuffle the cabinet in such a manner that the attempts to topple the government were thwarted. For the purpose, we dropped all the cabinet members from the upper house and accomodated NCP members in their place,'' a senior Congress Minister said.

Ever since the Democratic Front government assumed power in October 1999, the Sena-BJP alliance, particularly former Chief Minister Narayan Rane, had been drafting strategies to topple the government. Rane's contention was that since there was no pre-poll alliance between the Congress and the NCP, they had no moral right to form the government after the elections.

Though the BJP did not accept the plan drafted by the Shiv Sena, Rane was all along banking on the rebel NCP members, who were unhappy with the style of functioning of NCP President Sharad Pawar as well as Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

At least on three occasions, Rane had identified the NCP members, who were prepared to defect from the party to either join the Shiv Sena or form a separate group and support a possible Sena-BJP government. A section of the NCP members, in touch with Rane, had publicly criticised the NCP president for deliberately ignoring them.

Rane's plan could not materialise for two reasons. First, on occasions the information was leaked by a section of BJP leaders to Pawar or a section of NCP members dropped their plan to defect at the last moment.

Taking serious note of Rane's action plan and also to avoid an embarrassment during the budget session, Vilasrao Deshmukh himself began redrafting the strategy for stability. In the process, he himself established contact with the disgurntled NCP members and persuaded them not to leave the Democratic Front.

``Deshmukh's new strategy has put Rane's plan in turmoil. Now, with the induction of NCP members in the cabinet, it will not be possible for the Shiv Sena to split the NCP so easily. The five-week budget session will be a smooth affair for us,'' a senior NCP Minister said.

Chief Minister Deshmukh said ever since he took over the reins, his government was stable. ``I am firmly in the saddle, there is absolutely no threat to my government. Any attempt to destabilise my government will be politically thwarted,'' Deshmukh said.

Though the list of cabinet members to be dropped was drafted in consultation with Pawar and the Congress high command, the removal of Meghe, Ranjit Deshmukh and Hussain Dalwai, representing the Konkan region, will have political repercussions. Meghe is a trusted aide of Pawar, while Dalwai had left the Samajwadi Party to join the Congress.