Transparency is new CM’s priority

Chief Minister-designate Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday promised a “transparent” administration in the state.

Chief Minister-designate Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday promised a “transparent” administration in the state.

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“My priority is to give a transparent administration,” he said. He refused to talk about the Adarsh Society scam which forced the Congress to remove Ashok Chavan. “I will not say anything on it,’’ he said, unwilling to walk into a controversy even before starting his innings as CM.

For six years as Minister of State at the Centre, Chavan earned a reputation for being clean and efficient. His stock rose further with PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi with the passage of the contentious civil nuclear liability bill. When Gandhi was asked on Wednesday about her message for Maharashtra, she simply said: “The message has already gone,” alluding to Prithviraj taking over the reins.

The Rajya Sabha MP, who was told of his new assignment “very, very early in the morning,” would now need all the experience he gained since entering the Lok Sabha in 1991 and the Council of Ministers in 2004 to handle Maharashtra’s political maelstrom. The handicap of not being active in state politics has turned into an advantage. “That is why perhaps I got the job,” he said.