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MAHARASHTRA
Senapati Says SoBy ousting Manohar Joshi, Thackeray has reiterated that his
is the final word in the state.
By Sheela
Raval
January was not exactly a
pleasant month for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. First his pledge to prevent the Pakistan
cricket team from entering the country came unstuck when Union Home Minister L.K. Advani
flew to Mumbai and threatened the Maharashtra Government with dismissal if he did not
abandon his plans. Days later, the state Government buckled under pressure from the Union
Government and allowed the arrest of Sena activists who had allegedly ransacked the Mumbai
office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. As the month drew to a close, there
was more disappointment in store. Not only had the Pakistanis arrived in the country, they
had also beaten India in Chennai. Within hours of the first Test between the two countries
going in Pakistan's favour, the Senapati issued orders, unceremoniously removing Manohar
Joshi as chief minister and replacing him with the more affable Narayan Tatu Rane.
"I
believe in action" |

Dynamic and street-smart, Narayan Rane has been given
the responsibility of "controlling the damage" done to the state by his
predecessor, Manohar Joshi. The 15th chief minister of Maharashtra spoke to Principal
Correspondent Sheela Raval about his plans. Excerpts:
You are seen as a puppet in the BJP-Shiv Sena power
war ...
A. That is not true. Balasaheb is my mentor and I will take orders from him as they are
not only in my interest but also the party's and the state's.
Joshi was under tremendous pressure from all sides.
How will you cope with the problem?
I won't have that problem as I am the only leader of the Assembly and chief minister who
has the support of all the factions.
How different will your Government be?
I believe in action, in results. I am known to take quick decisions.
What is your immediate agenda?
My first priority is to shoulder the responsibility vested on me by Balasaheb. There is
only a year left for elections. I have been appointed chief minister to ensure that the
pace of all 60 welfare schemes announced by the alliance Government is expedited.
Did Smita Thackeray play a role in your
appointment?
Anyone can make suggestions but it was Balasaheb's decision.
It is said that senior Sena leaders are upset with
your appointment?
I respect my seniors. Saheb's word is the last word. So where is the question of anyone
getting upset. I have solved some minor problems within two days. Even Rajiv Gandhi was a
young leader. |
The move was not entirely unexpected. The cricket
issue was only the tip of the iceberg and differences between Joshi and Thackeray had been
growing over the past few months. Joshi was becoming increasingly assertive in his bid to
steer clear of the path charted out for him. He was also increasingly vocal about his
misgivings about implementing some of Thackeray's populist projects like providing free
electricity to farmers, free houses to 40 lakh slum-dwellers and employment to 27 lakh
jobless youth. According to sources within the Sena, Thackeray's daughter-in-law Smita
also played a key role in getting Joshi replaced with Rane, a family loyalist with immense
ability to raise funds.
There are other factors that acted against Joshi. Like his
proximity to Congress leader Sharad Pawar and a dubious land deal in Pune involving his
son-in-law Girish Vyas. Though a public-interest petition in this connection is pending
before the Bombay High Court, Thackeray had publicly declared that even if a single
stricture was passed against Joshi, he would sack him. Besides, some Independent MLAs
recently complained to the Sena chief about the chief minister's office
"arbitrarily" withholding clearance for some of their proposals.
For Thackeray, the change makes political sense. The state
is due to go to polls early next year and on current form the Sena-BJP alliance seems all
set for a hiding. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won 33 of the 48 seats
from the state and Joshi's replacement is a clear indication that Thackeray wants the
performance of the four-year-old Sena-BJP Government to improve. Admitting as much
following Joshi's ouster, he said: "I have now reshuffled my cards, keeping in mind
the political need of the hour."
The 45-year-old Rane is now Thackeray's best bet. He has
not let his lack of education -- he dropped out after completing his SSLCc -- come in the
way of his political career. A clerk in the Income Tax Department, he joined the Sena in
1967 and was made a shakha pramukh in 1984. He made his poll debut in 1985 when he got
elected to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Five years later, he was elected to the
Legislative Assembly and impressed Sainiks, notably the boss himself, by his ability to
collect funds for the organisation. A Maratha, Rane's elevation is expected to alter the
general perception within the organistion that the upper castes dominate its leadership.
He knows how to strike the right balance between the various power centres in the ruling
alliance, the Sena, Thackeray and the various power centres within his family. Among his
first moves after assuming charge was to order a reshuffle of the bureaucracy. A kitchen
cabinet of four close ministers was also set up to streamline the decision-making process
and help achieve some of the targets set by Thackeray.
Rane, however, downplays his abilities. "I have been
given the responsibility to enhance our public image by fulfilling the promises made to
our voters with the cooperation of our electoral ally," he says. Though the BJP's
official reaction to the change of guard was marked by restraint -- a party statement said
that as the senior partner in the alliance Government, it was the prerogative of the Sena
chief to choose the chief minister -- it was evident that the party was more than happy
with Thackeray's decision. At their first joint meeting with the press, Rane and Deputy
Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, who had frequent skirmishes with Joshi, cut a picture of
cooperation. "I had nothing personal against Joshi," said Munde when confronted
with the issue. "From now on the alliance partners will not spar on any matter and
the effort will be to provide a people-oriented government. All decisions will be made
jointly."
Those in the know, however, believe such remarks are likely
to remain no more than pious sentiments, specially since Thackeray is unlikely to
softpedal on his political agenda. If Rane tries to push his mentor's plans too far, he
may risk annoying his coalition partners. On the other hand, if he does not toe
Thackeray's line, he would incur his wrath. Implementing Thackeray's populist programmes
especially would not be easy considering the state's dwindling finances. Rane's ability to
raise funds for the party may have impressed his boss but now, among other things, he will
have to impress potential investors. If he fails, he will find himself in the same
predicament as his predecessor and history could well repeat itself. |