Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has decided to take up the cause of Congress cabinet ministers demanding enhanced budgetary allocations in key portfolios. The Congress legislators and ministers have asked the chief minister to ensure that the budget, to be presented by finance minister Ajit Pawar on March 23, does not favour the constituencies held by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The apprehensions have arisen as some Congress MLAs have learnt that the NCP is likely to give preference to projects in constituencies held by its leaders. To ensure injustice is not done to the Congress, the chief minister has urged MLAs to fill up a form outlining the details of their proposals, sector-wise. Chavan has assured he will discuss these projects with the finance minister and has started deliberations with senior Congress ministers to ascertain the facts.
A senior secretary engaged in the budget exercise said, “In coalition politics, when the Congress and NCP are competing for expansion, NCP members having a greater say compared to the Congress cannot be ruled out. But the budget exercise is founded on allocations being made department-wise and requires the consent of the entire cabinet, which is headed by chief minister. Also, the planned and non-planned expenditure requires the sanction of the planning commission.”
A Congress cabinet minister said, “The funds allocated for the irrigation department since the last 10 years have always been the highest — between Rs6,000 and Rs8,000 crore. These days, irrigation projects in western Maharashtra get preference compared to other regions. Often, the funds which are unused in other projects, or those held up because of technical clearance (like those of the environmental and finance departments), are usurped by MLAs of western Maharashtra, which is an NCP forte.”
Insiders indicate that the Congress wants enhanced allocations in sectors like agriculture, school education, social justice and employment guarantee schemes.
What has got the Congress worried is that important portfolios, which help building the image of leaders in their constituencies — such as water resources, public works departments, rural development, tribal welfare and power — lie with NCP ministers.
