Monday Musings: In Maharashtra, politicians have broken the Omerta Code

With politicians breaking the Code of Omerta, citizens can expect more rot that will help clean the system. However, till the system becomes clean, we will have to face political tamasha, which is affecting the public governance

Earlier this week, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit chief Chandrakant Patil suggested to the chief minister to hold an all-party meeting to bring sanity to what he called “vitiated political atmosphere” in Maharashtra. Patil blamed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as major contributor to the present crisis.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray flanked by NCP chief Sharad Pawar (left) and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat in Mumbai in 2019. (HT FILE PHOTO)

There can be a disagreement on who initiated it. But indeed, Maharashtra’s current political climate is impaired to a point where it is looking beyond repair. In the past, there were occasional aberrations when political slugfest was on display. However, it was often temporary and keeping in mind the political mileage ahead of polls. In normal course, politicians from different hues always safeguarded the interests of each other even if they spoke against rivals in public.

It began earlier this year with the February 25 bomb scare outside Antilla, the South Mumbai residence of Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani. What followed later was the arrest of “encounter specialist” assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, allegations of extortion by shunted Mumbai commissioner of police Param Bir Singh against the then state home minister Anil Deshmukh. Singh is currently in hiding and Deshmukh behind bars.

If several Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ministers and legislators are being investigated for alleged corrupt actions, it only indicates politically charged atmosphere in Maharashtra where party rivals are bringing out fresh “material” each day to accuse each other.

Back in 2009, when the then Congress-NCP government tweaked a policy to help sugar barons producing power from bagasse, the opposition BJP was conspicuous by its silence.

The sugar factories, mostly being controlled that time by Congress-NCP politicians, successfully pushed ahead their demand of selling electricity in the open market by withdrawing the previous order that mandated these mills to sell 50% of the generated power to state owned power utility.

While these factories were getting various kinds of help from government in terms of funds and loans, they were allowed to earn maximum profit. The silence of prominent state BJP leaders, including late Gopinath Munde and Eknath Khadse (who is now with NCP) was conspicuous. But then it indicated how the tweaking is benefiting everyone.

Years later, the arrangement seems to have ended, no matter if vendetta is reason for it. Going by what is currently unfolding on the political canvas in Maharashtra suggests politicians have ended an unwritten rule that whatever they may say against each other in public, no one will ever cross the line.

There was a time in Maharashtra, harsh political rivals were good friends in personal lives. The tale of Bal Thackeray-Sharad Pawar or Gopinath Munde-Vilasrao Deshmukh friendships may have sounded extraordinary if we were not living in these times.

For the MVA constituents - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - the current situation may have helped come out of the crisis as it has brought three partners closer. Stitched together after the assembly elections in a set of circumstances unique to Maharashtra’s politics, the MVA government was initially seen floundering as lack of coordinated strategies, weakening authority of the leadership, growing disgruntlement among its constituents and the inability to set a narrative. However, as key members of the cabinet such as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Anil Deshmukh, who later had to resign, faced inquiries by the central agencies, the three partners have realised it can be anyone tomorrow, a reason they need to be more united than before.

For the BJP, the current political atmosphere may not suit its dream of returning to power once again anytime in the near future. The entry of central agencies has only disturbed the narrative the party was trying to shape in the state in order to portray MVA as example of governance failure.

But for common citizens, the situation may hold both – good and bad. With politicians breaking the Code of Omerta, citizens can expect more rot that will help clean the system. However, till the system becomes clean, we will have to face political tamasha, which is affecting the public governance.

Yogesh Joshi can be contacted at yogesh.joshi@htlive.com