Political tussle between MVA and BJP throws ST out of gear
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), once a prestigious and cash-rich state undertaking, patronized by lakhs of passengers, is now in a complete mess thanks to the overall political failure to end the prolonged strike in time. While scores of passengers have been forced to travel by private luxury buses and illegal vehicles by paying hefty fares, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition party, appear engaged in a game of political outsmarting.
It was evident after the BJP took umbrage at an initiative by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on a meeting with the workers’ representatives on Monday where transport minister Anil Parab was also present. The BJP leaders questioned Pawar’s authority on conducting the meeting and termed it as extra-constitutional.
Even as a substantive pay hike has been announced by the state government, the ST workers have refused to call off the strike leaving passengers at the mercy of private players. The ruling party’s failure to find an amicable solution and BJP’s opposition to any initiative to end the impasse have only deteriorated the scene further with travelers being forced to pay exorbitant fares for travel. Though the opposition usurps every given opportunity to project the state government in a bad light, in this case, the BJP has not been able to generate public opinion in its favor.
All party efforts were needed to end the strike
An all-party initiative to end the strike could have raised the credibility of the political parties. But the bitter power struggle between the ruling and the opposition has led to some complications. Even today, the ST bus has been the cheapest mode of public transport for thousands of passengers particularly from semi-urban and rural parts of the state. It was a good opportunity for Devendra Fadnavis, the Leader of the Opposition, had he taken initiative for joint efforts to resolve the crisis by offering his party’s help to the government. But the leaders roped in by BJP to support the agitating workers created an impression that they were there to thwart any effort to resolve the crisis.
Due to the lack of political consensus, the strike did not end in time and politicians failed to notice the plight of thousands of passengers. Making merry, the luxury bus owners and other private passenger vehicles are said to have usurped the opportunity by charging hefty fares, enabling them to pay back the loans taken to purchase their vehicles.
No initiative from CM to end Strike
Surprisingly, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray did not chair the meeting held on Monday, neither he was available via video conferencing. The CM did not appear as playing a decisive role in the ST strike, reasons of which are not known. If he can attend review meetings on Covid19 and witness the moment of the TBM machine breaking the Coastal Road tunnel virtually, reasons behind skipping crucial ones such as one about ST raise speculations.
The presence of the CM has to be visible in every serious problem that the state faces. There is a big difference between a minister and the CM. When Thackeray gets due credit for handling the pandemic situation, it does not augur well when he avoids the ST strike. Thackeray should play a decisive role as his party colleague transport minister Anil Parab is fighting a lone battle on behalf of the government. Forget the CM, none of his cabinet colleagues from Shiv Sena is seen with him.
Past incidents say that many problems have been resolved just because of an initiative by the CM or his intervention. A mere feeling that the CM is keen on finding a solution sends some positive signals. But on the issue of ST strike, Pawar, a four-time chief minister, came forward apparently sensing the trouble. There could be several opinions about Pawar’s style of doing politics, but his enthusiasm to face any aggravated issue of public interest should be taken as an exemplary one.
It’s well and good if the crisis ends with an initiative by Pawar. But the BJP taking it as something extra-constitutional raises questions over their political maturity. Instead, the party can target the CM over his failure to take a lead and no attempt to help his party colleague, the transport minister.
CM cannot stay away
Unquestionably, the chief minister is an important institution at the state level. He cannot adopt an indifferent posture to any issue of public interest. An incident is worth recalling when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the CM. The city of Solapur witnessed communal clashes with rioting, arson, and damages to public property. Deshmukh was at his hometown Latur following his father’s death. But sensing the trouble and demand of the situation he went to visit Solapur even though he was not supposed to venture out of his home for a certain period. He could have deputed his fellow ministers but he responded to the call of his duty.
Maha Vikas Aghadi could see the light of the day due to the initiative by Uddhav Thackeray when he decided to sever ties with the BJP following its shrewd political moves to cut Shiv Sena to size. But one must keep in mind that addition-subtraction has been the part and parcel of politics. Devendra Fadnavis too was lauded for some decisions when he was the CM and was viewed as a potential successor to PM Narendra Modi. But things went astray and the subtraction happened and he missed the boat.
There is a long list of important issues that Thackeray has not commented on. His party minister Sandipan Bhumre came into trouble over a public event in his home district Aurangabad. The issue reached the high court. His party colleagues- MP Bhavna Gawli, ex-MP Anandrao Adsul, and ex-minister Ravindra Waikar came on the radar of the enforcement directorate (ED). But Thackeray did not react. Similarly, his silence is noticeable on controversies attached to Sanjay Rathod and Anil Deshmukh, when both had to tender resignations.
BJP army backed agitators
On the MSRTC front, the BJP is trying to gain political mileage by highlighting the inability of the MVA government to find a solution. From the leader of opposition Praveen Darekar to MLC Gopichand Padalkar, Sadabhau Khot, and others, BJP deputed them to show solidarity with the ST workers. Advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, who is arguing on behalf of the workers at the high court, is accused of being close to the BJP leaders. But, in any case, the efforts to politicize the issue have failed to create a wave of sympathy in favor of the BJP.