MUMBAI: In the backdrop of the contradicting statements and remarks of leaders from alliance parties, the three-party Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government has decided to appoint a coordination committee, sources have said.
Senior NCP leader and minorities development minister in the MVA government Nawab Malik endorsed that leaders from all the three parties are contemplating the formation of a coordination committee so that a coherent face of the government is projected. However, he declined to divulge any more details.
According to sources, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and his senior colleague Praful Patel, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his senior colleague from the party Anil Desai and AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge and his party colleague Ahmed Patel are likely to be the members of the coordination committee.
The committee will meet every month to review the work in the previous month as well as to plan ahead. If there are differences of opinions over any issues within the government, such issues would be sorted out during meetings of this committee. Any other party leader won’t be allowed to comment on any such issues. Also, all the constituent parties would identify a leader to speak on issues related to government, so that potential controversies are nipped in bud, the leaders from all the three parties have decided.
Official announcement of the constitution of the committee is likely to come anytime soon, the sources added. Idea is to have two senior leaders from each party so that the parties will follow directions given by these leaders, the sources said.
Sources added that apart from the controversies due to statements made by various leaders, several issues pertaining to working of the state government too are bothering the MVA leadership and to streamline such issues the idea of the coordination committee was mooted.
According to sources, Shiv Sena ministers have been complaining about alleged ‘high handed’ manners of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Being a minister for finance and planning, immediately after assuming charge Pawar started reviewing the performance of all government departments. Though the review is a normal practice and is a part of the pre-budgetary exercise, it hasn’t gone down well with the Shiv Sena ministers. Especially in the past couple of press conferences, Pawar announced decisions on Eastern Freeway and Hyperloop after a financial review. This has irked the ministers from the Shiv Sena and Congress, who felt offended about announcements of their departments being directly made by Ajit Pawar. They complained about internal party forums asking whether Pawar is trying to run a parallel power centre by using his Dy CM’s post.
To avoid any such internal controversies in the future, the decision regarding the coordination committee was made, the sources added.