In Congress, talk of ‘Op Maharashtra’
Talk of “Operation Maharashtra” has begun in the Congress circles after the debacle in the local body elections and the Mumbai corporation polls.
While a guessing game has begun about its timings, insiders viewed that it could be performed in June-July 2012. This is because a delay could weaken the party further.
A senior Congress leader predicted that it would be a major overhaul expected to take place after the Budget Session of Parliament.
The Congress insiders want the “high command” to take corrective steps and fix accountability of leaders for the party’s poor performance in these elections, fearing that a dilly dallying approach would damage the Congress’ prospects in the 2014 Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections.
A section of the party is drawing attention to the failure of CM aspirants and the current senior Maharashtra ministers — Mr Patangrao Kadam, Mr Balasaheb Thorat, Mr Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Mr Harshvardhan Patil and Mr Narayan Rane — in Sangli, Ahmednagar, Pune, Ratnagiri, Thane districts, while others are blaming chief minister Prathviraj Chavan and PCC president Manikrao Thakre. A Congress official feared that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP would get chief ministership even if it fights the next Assembly elections “with us or without us”.
The NCP has emerged stronger in Sangli, Ahmeadnagar, Pune, Thane, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Pimpri Chinchwad.
“Our two leaders — Ashok Chavan and Kripashankar Singh — had to go on the charges of scams while MP, Suresh Kalmadi is facing the same in the CWG in less than three years of the UPA II,” they pointed out.
If Mr Kripashankar Singh remained as the Mumbai Congress chief despite of such charges and New Delhi’s backing, the CM could not deliver even in his own western Maharashtra, they said.
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