Can clean govt foot Rs10-crore party bill?

Now that the cabinet has been formed, the new chief minister of Maharashtra has to commit himself to a fine balancing act between providing clean governance and generating adequate funds for the functioning of the Congress party. Unfortunately for him, both require an opposite set of skills.

A senior Congress functionary revealed that funds required to keep the state Congress going is Rs15-20 lakh per month, while the requirement in Delhi is Rs10 crore. During elections, this figure bloats to Rs100 crore.

Understandably, no one questions the source of these funds as long as the tap keeps running. As chief minister Prithviraj Chavan takes the reins, many wonder how he will deliver the funds without indulging in dirty politics. Having earned the title of Mr Clean, and tasked with the common man’s faith in the government, Chavan has no option but to play dual roles.

A former chief minister on the condition of anonymity said, “The concept of clean image and transparent government sounds good in theory. But has anybody asked how can a CM remain a saint when he is expected to deliver financial support to run the party, a sum that runs into a several hundred crores a year? The captains of the industry are not going to donate funds without expecting favours in return.”

Compromise is non-negotiable 
What has set the stage for debate is the moral high ground Congress president Sonia Gandhi has taken by giving a clarion call to combat corruption. Barely eight days after sacking former CM Ashok Chavan, and replacing him with a corruption-free candidate, when it came to constituting the cabinet, the Congress fell back on its tainted ministers and argued that politics demands flexibility and pragmatism.

Cosmetic changes like dropping controversial ministers like Abdull Sattar, Ramesh Bagwe, Vijay Waddetiwar were effected. Narayan Rane was divested of the revenue ministry and given industries to signal that the party has taken some action. Leader of the opposition Eknath Khadse observed, “We have exposed rampant corruption in irrigation department, urban development and housing since last year. By changing the CM, the Congress cannot boast of a clean image.”

Sticky coalition
The cabinet formation also highlighted the complexities of coalition politics. The Congress CM had no say in the selection of the 20 NCP ministers, who constitute half his team. They were retained by NCP president Sharad Pawar, who has always maintained, “Unless a minister is proven guilty there is no question of sacking him. And so far, there is not a single case that merits such harsh action.”

The 20 Congress cabinet ministers, too, were decided after extensive consultations with various factions and the central leadership. Chavan’s decision to induct six new faces is also an exercise undertaken to restore political stability and regional balance, and not necessarily to promote the youth. If his emphasis was on competence, he would have dropped at least three ministers — Ranjit Kamble, Shivajirao Moghe and Patangrao Kadam.

A major task ahead of Chavan is to pick the right bureaucrats to guide him. A senior cabinet minister admits, “The control of politicians over the bureaucrats is slipping. Taking babus to task is not an easy job these days.”