by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Congress-NCP reach in-principle deal in Maharashtra
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is busy clinching strategic alliances quietly and meeting top leaders of the Opposition parties to assess the situation. He doesn't want his meetings to be publicised and focusing on micro planning; state by state. When Rahul Gandhi met Sharad Pawar last month, it was a courtesy call, said sources. Rahul wanted Pawar's advice and impressed upon him to talk to like-minded parties so that the Lok Sabha polls could be fought against the BJP unitedly. He also told him that Pawar being the tallest leader, he should take the initiative in this regard. During the course of this discussion, both agreed to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together. No seat-sharing formula was discussed between them as polls are still a year away. But in Maharashtra, both parties had been partners together for 15 long years and there would be no problem in clinching the deal even at a short notice, sources privy to deliberations say. In the Lok Sabha the Congress had been contesting 26 seats while NCP 22 in the past. It was also decided that the two parties will contest the two byelections together in the state and share one seat each. Enthused by the defeat of the BJP in UP bye-polls, the two parties will contest polls together and broadly follow the same formula for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which prevailed earlier. Rahul is not insisting on particular number of seats at this juncture. His target is clear- Remove Modi at all costs. It has also been agreed that the Chief Minister will be from the Congress Party and most probably, the Congress has zeroed on Ashok Chavan as its chief ministerial candidate. The NCP has no objection to Chavan becoming the CM or for that matter any other leader. But it has some reservations about Prithviraj Chavan who it says was primarily responsible for break-up of the NCP-Congress alliance in 2014.
Sena wants 144 Assembly seats
With Congress-NCP clinching an in-principle alliance for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has adopted a tough stance towards the BJP. Though no formal talks have been held between the two parties on the issue, certain influential intermediaries are busy sorting out the problem. The BJP is obviously worried as it is losing one ally after the other and with SP-BSP coming together in UP and NCP-Congress joining hands, the BJP is keen to keep Sena in good humour. The formula envisages that the BJP-Shiv Sena to contest 144-144 seats each in the state. Since Sena is unwilling to trust the BJP anymore, it wants Assembly and Lok Sabha polls be held simultaneously in Maharashtra. Normally, the Assembly polls are held in the state six months after the Lok Sabha polls. But the mistrust between the two parties is so grave that Sena is unwilling to trust BJP. The Sena's another condition is that the Chief Minister will be of the party which will secure more MLAs in the polls. The Lok Sabha seats may be shared as per the ground level situation.
Why speak to the media, Modi tells Paswan
BJP's key ally LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Food Minister, called on the Prime Minister last week. He was leading a delegation of 16 Dalit MP s of BJP and other parties to impress upon the prime minister that the government should file a review petition in the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict on SC/ST Act. The SC had said that arrest be made only after complaints of atrocities/slur are verified by the Police. After hearing the MP s patiently for 15 minutes, the PM said that the social justice & empowerment ministry has already taken a call and law ministry is being consulted. The PM also assured them that no injustice will be allowed to be done to the down-trodden sections of the society under his regime. After the meeting, Paswan asked the Prime Minister if the media be briefed about the meeting. The PM looked straight into his eyes and said, “Why speak to the media? There is no need.” Paswan was crest fallen and realised his folly in asking the PM whether he could brief the media as he wanted to earn some brownie points. When the delegation came out, the media mobbed them and Paswan was forced to face the crew. However, except for saying that the meeting was good..... this … that, he did not say anything reassuring and avoided a direct reply. It is clear from the incident how the PM has kept his ministers on the tight leash.
Two year tenure for Finance secretary ?
The government is seriously considering two-year fixed tenure for the post of Finance Secretary on the pattern of the posts of Cabinet Secretary, Union Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Chiefs of CBI, IB, RAW and Enforcement Directorate. It is felt that there is need to have a fixed term for the Finance Secretary considering country’s ever-evolving economic policy and has become too complex to be dealt with by an officer with a shorter tenure of less than two years. It is also being argued that even two years is a short time frame because most of the IAS officers don’t have the kind of exposure and knowledge of the overall economy that is urgently required for the job. Rather, the Finance Secretary should have three years' tenure. With Hasmukh Adhia, current Finance Secretary likely to move as Cabinet Secretary, there is proposal on table to have a fixed tenure for Finance Secretary as well. There are two other names doing the rounds for Cabinet Secretary's post- Rita Tewatia, Commerce secretary and K D Tripathi, petroleum secretary. Rita Tiwetia is also of Gujrat cadre and a trusted officer of Modi. Tripathi also has the blessings of Dharmendra Pradhan and others. Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha is completing his extended tenure on 12 June this year. There is another question in the bureaucratic circles- will Sinha get one year's extension as polls are due any time. But Modi may like his trusted bureaucrat Adhia if not Tiwetia.
