Ajit Pawar dominates proceedings

The Congress is upset with its ally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has overshadowed chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on the first two days of the assembly’s winter session in Nagpur.

The Congress is upset with its ally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has overshadowed chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on the first two days of the assembly’s winter session in Nagpur.

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Pawar, who is known to have a dominating style of functioning, surprised the legislators on Thursday by announcing relief for farmers even before the debate on damage to crops due to the unseasonal rains began.

The deputy chief minister said the government would direct its electricity company to not disconnect supply to farmers who have paid previous bills. In the upper house, too, Pawar announced that the government would soon disburse Rs 250 crore to farmers as promised by government in the past.

According to a Congress legislator, who did not wish to be named, Pawar made the annou-ncements even though Chavan was not keen on committing before the debate took place.

Also, Pawar stood up after Chavan rejected the opposition’s demand for an immediate announcement. “As per protocol, no minister from the government speaks after the chief minister replies to a debate. Pawar breached the protocol and tried to show that he is the one who calls the shots in the government,” added the Congress legislator.