Thackeray govt faces massive challenges on many fronts

Maharashtra is witnessing a never-seen-before political turmoil thanks to eyeball-to-eyeball fight on a daily basis between the opposition BJP and the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi. The government is in constant threat of `Operation Lotus’ engineered often by the BJP in other states. In October-November, 2019, when Shiv Sena broke ties with its nearly three-decade-old saffron partner and joined ranks with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar, both Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar were well aware that the sailing for the “Trimurti government” would not be smooth.

In the last 16 months, the MVA has faced one problem or another besides the Covid-19 pandemic - the Palghar mob lynching, cases of death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, talent manager Disha Salian, regular spats with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the BJP-led Centre often targeting it, Kangana Ranaut episode, the action against Republic Media Network’s Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case and the TRP manipulation scam and so on.

Besides, there were natural disasters like the Nisarga cyclone and heavy rains, and incidents like the Bhandara hospital fire in which 10 infants died, not to forget Enforcement Directorate action against senior Shiv Sena leaders Pratap Sarnaik, Sanjay Raut’s wife even as senior politician Eknath Khadse switched over from BJP to NCP. In the midst of all these, Pawar managed to ensure that the MVA remains intact and the government functions.

But when on February 25, as a Mahindra Scorpio SUV laden with gelatin sticks and a threatening letter was found near Antilia, the Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, things took a different turn. With this leading to several twists and turns, the MVA boat seemed to be in rough waters with their leaders and troubleshooters working overtime.

The issue emerged like a hydra making life difficult for the Thackeray government. What was shocking was that the Scorpio was planted by Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze – a former Shiv Sainik; he was also booked for the March first week murder of the owner of the vehicle, Mansukh Hiren, a Thane-based automobile spare part showroom owner. Vaze, now in custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is known to be close to then Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. In fact, Singh assigned Vaze to investigate the Scorpio planting case.

Read | Khaki-Khadi nexus

It was now the right moment for Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis to hit back – and he ensured that he got all the information before Thackeray and state’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh - and put the government on the mat. Even as the NIA took over the Scorpio case, the government tasked the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to investigate the Mansukh Hiren case and made two arrests. The NIA later took over the Mansukh Hiren case as well.

Read | Sachin Vaze case: Anil Deshmukh must go

The matter did not end here – Param Bir Singh was shunted out and made the Commandant General of Home Guards. But Singh has his own plans – and he shot off a letter to Thackeray saying that Deshmukh demanded Rs 100 crore per month from Vaze - and also mentioned that the same was briefed to him, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the NCP supremo himself. He also went to the Supreme Court demanding a CBI probe into the allegations against the minister and challenged his transfer, however, was asked to move Bombay High Court, which he did. Incidentally, Singh’s son is married to BJP leader Datta Meghe’s granddaughter. A judicial enquiry has now been ordered into the charges against Deshmukh.

Fadnavis disclosures

Meanwhile, Sanjay Pandey, a 1986-batch officer, too has moved the court against the state government saying that he was ignored yet again for the post of Maharashtra police chief and his junior Rajneesh Seth was given the top job.

Fadnavis then came out with an intelligence report – prepared by then Commissioner of State Intelligence Department Rashmi Shukla and forwarded by then Director General of Police Subodh Jaiswal to Thackeray - pointing out that a racket of brokers and people with political links are operating cash-for-promotions-and-transfers racket. The MVA has accused Shukla of being a “BJP agent” and questioned the unauthorised phone-tapping. Fadnavis last week met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla seeking a CBI probe into the issue.

A report prepared by Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte, who then headed the Home Department, had said that Shukla had exceeded the brief and that no one had sanctioned phone tapping. He added that she had apologised and withdrew the report.

“The political situation is in a state of turmoil," said Prakash Akolkar, veteran political analyst, who has seen Maharashtra politics closely for 40-plus years. "The government is safe, at least as of now. Much depends on the results of the Assembly elections in five states and how BJP will perform. As far as the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government is concerned, it has lost credibility because of corruption charges and acting on various issues late. The government had started off on a good note and a lot was expected given the vast experience of the ministers but the Covid-19 pandemic emerged as a big challenge and other issues are just compounding the situation."

Top leaders including Pawar and Thackeray had repeatedly said that the government was stable. “The BJP is daydreaming that it will collapse … and the Centre is trying to destabilise the government,” said Sena leader Sanjay Raut. Close Pawar aide and state’s Housing Minister Jitendra Ahwad said: “The phone-tapping was done with a plan to topple the government. Phone-tapping led to the resignation of (US President) Richard Nixon ... we also know about the fall of the then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde’s government in Karnataka.”

The MVA government faces a big challenge as it gets embroiled in several controversies – facing cases in the Bombay High Court, an officer close to ruling Shiv Sena gets entangled in an NIA probe, a Home Minister facing a judicial inquiry etc. Right now, the coalition government is struggling to come out clean.