Chavan

Nov. 3: The delay in forming the Maharashtra government has left state police headless at a time the anniversary of 26/11 is approaching and intelligence agencies have warned of a repeat attack.

Twelve days after the declaration of results, the Congress and the National Congress Party have failed to resolve differences over portfolios, even prompting an NCP threat of not joining the government that the party later played down.

In the absence of a government, a new police chief has not been appointed after director-general S.S. Virk retired on October 31, despite alerts about a 26/11 rerun in Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore this month.

Anami Roy, who was state police chief during the attack, is expected to be re-appointed to the post but this cannot happen without a home minister.

The Congress, with 20 more MLAs than its partner, wants more ministries and some key portfolios from the NCP, which held 24 of the 42 berths in the previous government and controlled 70 per cent of the budget allocations. The NCP held portfolios such as home, energy, finance and public works, apart from the post of deputy chief minister (and also Speaker).

With the outgoing Assembly’s term ending today, governor S.C. Jamir had invited caretaker chief minister Ashok Chavan and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal for discussions.

Emerging from Raj Bhavan, Bhujbal created a flutter by suggesting his party would support a Congress government from outside until all differences were settled. “We will join the ministry with honour after portfolio-sharing issues are resolved,” he said.

Congress leaders in Delhi laughed off the threat. “The NCP is fighting for every single pound of flesh, how can it leave everything for us? There will be a government with both allies very soon,” a senior leader said.

Later in the evening, NCP leader and civil aviation minister Praful Patel clarified his party would join the new government. All Bhujbal had meant, Patel claimed, was that the chief minister could be sworn in alone if the governor insisted on early government formation. Asked why the NCP had not given the letter of support in that case, he said: “We would give the letter if that is a hurdle. We have already given a verbal assurance to the governor.”

Patel, however, made it clear the NCP had not softened its stand on portfolios and said it would be best not to deviate from the 1999 formula. This stipulates a 50-50 division of ministry berths but the Congress says it is not sacrosanct and was violated in 2004.

In 2004, the Congress got only 18 berths against the NCP’s 24 because it bagged the chief minister’s post despite being the junior partner. The Congress, which had initially sought the home and finance portfolios this time, may now be ready to settle for a 22-20 break-up that gives it at least the rural development, power and tribal affairs ministries.

The Congress is mounting pressure on its ally by deliberately failing to show any sense of urgency: it kept Patel waiting in vain for a call the whole day. The Congress’s man in charge of Maharashtra, A.K. Antony, is in Kerala while Ahmed Patel is busy with the upcoming Jharkhand polls.

Fuming at the delay, the Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP has fixed a meeting with Jamir tomorrow morning and will demand President’s rule.