We succeeded because of our performance: Ashok Chavan

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan unveils the Congress election strategy to Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi on the programme Kahiye Janaab ahead of the assembly polls. Apart from detailing his views on issues ranging from rampant poverty that certain regions face and the recent controversy surrounding sugar prices, he also shares his views on NCP-Congress ties. Swati: Maharashtra is a very crucial state for the Congress. You are playing a Twenty-Twenty match for yourself and the Congress post 26/11. Ashok Chavan: Though I have faced a lot of challenges, yet this one came at short notice and also when the election is round the corner. Even so in a short span of a few months, we took many decisions and performed well. Swati: Your party devised a clever strategy of promoting Raj Thackeray first. Now you are campaigning against the NCP. Comments? Ashok Chavan: Let me clear this misunderstanding. Neither was this my strategy nor the Congress’. Raj Thackeray is a by-product of the Shiv Sena. We were never dependent on him. Our party succeeded purely due to its performance. Swati: But if Raj Thackeray had not cut into BJP’s and Sena’s votes, then Congress party would not have performed so well? Ashok Chavan: There are times when some factor works in your favour and vice versa. But this does not mean that there’s no performance. They did not get enough votes because people prefer Raj Thackeray to Shiv Sena. Swati: This time there’s a game of nerves between the NCP and the Congress. NCP feels that the Congress is high-handed. What do you have to say on this? Ashok Chavan: Neither are they being high-handed nor are we. Every party wants to establish itself on its own credentials. As far as Congress is concerned, it performed well in the Lok Sabha polls. Last time even when seat adjustment took place, every party said that Congress performed well on such and such count. Swati: A number of senior leaders like Digvijay Singh are saying that now Congress does not need the NCP. Ashok Chavan: No, Digvijay Singh never said that the Congress never needs the NCP. Our party does not hold sway in all districts. In some places Congress holds, and in others NCP is strong. Looking at the entire scenario, we need to decide. We have left it to A K Antony and talks have taken place at that level. Swati: Some NCP leaders like P A Sangma have openly said that no reason has been left for the NCP to exist now that the foreign origin issue of Sonia Gandhi is redundant. Do you think that the NCP should return back to the Congress fold? Ashok Chavan: I think the issue is non-existent now. Even so it is an internal matter of the party. In case the NCP does want to comeback, it is welcome. There is also a need for a strong party at the state level besides at the Centre. So in that sense if whosoever has left the party returns, then it will only strengthen it further. Swati: Your dream is to attain a per capita income of Rs 1 lakh for all Maharashtrians. Mumbai now is an isolated island of prosperity. How can this dream be realised then? Ashok Chavan: In Maharashtra today the education scenario is quite good. We need to establish enough facilities for Generation Next. Things like employment generation will continue. I assure every parent that their children will get the best education, best quality food and the needed qualifications to stand on their own feet. Swati: Your predecessor Vilasrao Deshmukh talked of turning Mumbai into Shanghai. He also said that though suicide was a crime under the IPC, considering the farmer suicides, we have not prosecuted anyone for that. Ashok Chavan: I won’t contradict Vilasrao Deshmukh. One should dream big. He gave the example of Shanghai since that city has developed and has many facilities. We would also like to see our state that developed. We have invested about Rs 50,000 crore in various projects like metro rails, mono rails developing road-sea links etc Swati: How would you address the tirade against the North Indians in the state? Ashok Chavan: The police and the administration have stopped them and when not, proceedings have been initiated. No matter who is in government, the country must run within the constitutional framework. This tirade is due to the elections. I don’t believe in the means they adopted to voice their anger. Swati: Sharad Pawar who is a minister in the UPA government at the Centre time and again repeated that the situation was normal on the sugar issue. Your comments? Ashok Chavan: I can’t comment on Pawar. But when sugarcane production dropped then we were selling sugar via fair price shops. At the time we froze sugar prices at Rs 20. We intervened only when market prices rose and to stabilise the prices we spent crores every month. Swati: You said that in this Twenty-Twenty match you are hitting sixers. How many seats would you give your party? Ashok Chavan: We should get a good number of seats. We’ll get more seats than before and certainly form the government. Adapted by: Ritam Banati