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NEWSNOTES
 Vilasrao
Deshmukh
The Maharashtra chief minister on why he is dissolving
civic bodies
Q. Isn't the Government misusing its constitutional
power to dissolve municipal councils in places like Dhule, Thane, Nagpur,
and now Mumbai?
A. In all the cases the Government just followed the recommendations
of the respective fact-finding committees, all headed by upright officers.
And don't forget the judiciary is there too. As for BMC, we will decide
about it only after the Tinaikar Committee submits its report.
Q. But in some cases like Dhule, Palghar and Roha, the courts have
gone against the Government's decision to either dissolve the municipal
bodies or disqualify the mayors.
A. The court's verdict was not on merit but more on the technical
and procedural grounds. We are now taking care to rectify technical and
procedural lacunae.
Q. Are the Congress and NCP going to contest
municipal elections together?
A. As a policy we are going to contest independently. But if the need
arises then we may have a tie-up with the NCP. The local bodies have been
given powers to decide independently.
Q. What will be your political strategy for
the forthcoming elections?
A. We
have geared up our grassroots workers as we take it as an opportunity
to measure the mood and pulse of the people. We take it as a preliminary
battleground to show our political strength in the state.
—Sheela Raval
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