The friendly interference

Transfers in the state administration were on top of the agenda for many in the state secretariat, Mantralaya, over the last few weeks. The hotly debated topics were the transfers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, especially the speculations that chief secretary Sujata Saunik could move on to take the State Election Commissioner’s (SEC) post. There has been talk of her being under pressure to take up the post since an influential friend of a top Mahayuti leader wants a particular officer to take over as chief secretary. Opposition leaders Aaditya Thackeray and Sachin Sawant have already levelled such allegations and wondered whether the Shinde government wants to remove the first woman chief secretary from her post within two months of her appointment. Saunik would get a five-year tenure as SEC and would be the chief secretary of the state for about a year if she chooses to. There are certain posts for which lobbying is done by bureaucrats on the verge of retirement: Saunik clearly didn’t lobby for it but her colleagues say the SEC option was “suggested” to her.
This episode and a couple of transfers in recent days has put the focus on those who are said to be influencing decisions regarding appointment of bureaucrats in top positions. These ‘friends’ (as they are being spoken of in Mantralaya) wanted a particular officer as CEO of a key state government undertaking but the minister who happens to be from CM Shinde’s party was resisting it. However, much to the minister’s anguish, the transfer still happened. It’s not just Shinde’s ministers but allies too are irked with the ‘friendly interference’. A top BJP minister had suggested a particular Maharashtrian officer for a key post in a civic body. However, it was not accepted. While some are not happy with this, a few aspiring officers have started dialling numbers of these influential friends.
Bihar pattern?
At a recent function of a Marathi newspaper, a top state Congress leader said he won’t be surprised if a “Bihar-type” decision happens after the elections. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar managed to become chief minister in governments formed with both RJD and BJP even though he had fewer number of MLAs. In Maharashtra too, there is a possibility of such a decision if Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi wins power in the assembly elections, he said.
According to him, a section of Congress leaders in Delhi are in favour of handing over chief ministership to Uddhav Thackeray in the event of MVA getting a majority and even if Congress has more seats. This has now irked the chief ministerial aspirants in the state Congress. Significantly, Maharashtra too has previous examples of parties with fewer MLAs than allies getting the top job. In 2004, the CM’s post went to Congress though ally NCP had more MLAs. More recently, Eknath Shinde was made CM even though he had 40-odd MLAs as against BJP’s 106. Will Thackeray get a chance to complete his unfinished innings?
Ajit skips visit to RSS founder’s memorial
Though some of their leaders are publicly targeting each other, chief minister Shinde and his deputies attended a government function together to promote the Ladki Bahin Yojna in Nagpur on Saturday, next to the RSS headquarters. After the programme, Shinde and Fadnavis visited the memorial of RSS founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and paid their tributes. Ajit Pawar was conspicuous by his absence. Pawar has been trying to show how he is not towing the saffron agenda of his alliance partners. He had earlier skipped a meeting where he was expected to share dais with top RSS leaders. He has been taking a different stand than his allies over the issues of minorities. Despite objections by the BJP, he is determined to keep Nawab Malik in his party and is likely to field the latter’s daughter Sana in the assembly elections in place of her father. His colleagues hope this struggle to show that the party won’t compromise on its secular credentials helps them in the coming elections.
Shinde’s motormouth colleagues
Some of CM Shinde’s ministers and legislators do not seem to get tired of kicking up controversies and creating a headache for the busy chief minister. The latest is health minister Tanaji Sawant. He scored twice last week: At a public function, he said he felt like vomiting after attending meetings with NCP ministers who he never liked. It invoked strong reactions from Ajit Pawar’s party. On Saturday, another of Sawat’s video went viral in which the minister was seen asking a farmer–who apparently quizzed him over water supply– whether he had taken a supari (paid by rivals to speak against him). Sawant is not alone. Ministers such as Abdul Sattar, Deepak Kesarkar and MLA Sanjay Gaikwad too have kicked up controversies with their remarks.