‘Cheers’ leaders

This new breed has come into being after the state government’s decision to allow 23 distilleries to make liquor from food grains.

Move over sugar and education barons, Maharashtra will soon have a new breed of tycoons — liquor lords. This new breed has come into being after the state government’s decision to allow 23 distilleries to make liquor from food grains. The government claims the distilleries will use only the grain unfit for human consumption. But then, what’s the guarantee that other food grains will not be used?

HT Image

There is public pressure on Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to scrap the plan but the political pressure may outdo the public one. Those who are queuing up to set up these distilleries are sons, daughters and son-in-laws of some of the top leaders of the Congress, the NCP and the BJP. With the sugar sector losing its sweetness and competition taking its toll in the private education sector, our netas are on the lookout for new cash cows. Cheers to their enterprise!

Tongue-tied
Never known for keeping a low profile, Forests Minister Patangrao Kadam has suddenly lost his voice. This happened after the loudmouth Congressman was caught on camera (without his knowledge of course) foul-mouthing other politicians like his cabinet colleague Narayan Rane and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Kadam’s ‘daring’ step became public four days ago when a news channel telecast the sensitive tapes. Since then, an embarrassed Kadam has been shying away from the Legislature. Perhaps he is busy drafting a statement to explain his indiscreet
utterances?

Keeping their distance
The saffron alliance is facing another tiff after the election for two seats to the Legislative Council on Friday (the results will be announced on Monday). These members are to be elected by the Mumbai corporators and the Sena, Congress and BJP fielded one candidate each. A candidate needs a minimum of 74 votes to win. Since the BJP had only 29 members, it started poaching on corporators belonging to its ally, the Sena. Irked, the Sena told the BJP to withdraw its candidate. When the latter refused, the Sena ferried its corporators to a safe location — out of reach of the Congress and the BJP. The lengths to which they will go…

The race for Gadkari’s gaddi
With Gadkari’s elevation as BJP’s national president, the BJP in Maharashtra is hunting for a dynamic leader to head the party. Among those in the race are the high-profile Vinod Tawde, who has been a crucial member of the Gadkari camp, Chandrapur’s vocal legislator Sudhir Munguntiwar and Nagpur’s low-profile but studious leader Devendra Phadnavis. Whoever becomes state president will have to do a tightrope walk between the Gadkari and Munde camps. While the big bosses in Delhi battle it out as well in the new order.