New Delhi, Apr 21: Facing attack over a “decision deficit” in his government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today met Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Chavan's meeting with Gandhi came a day after the conclusion of the budget session of the state legislature and close on the heels of reports that the Congress high command has told him to quickly get his act together or else it would be forced to look for a replacement.
“Chief Minister's post is not like working in the Prime Minister's Office where there is no need to take decisions.In states, things just do not happen unless you take decisions”, a senior Congress leader, who declined to be identified, had said last week.
The remarks were significant as Chavan was Minister of state in the PMO before being made the Chief Minister in November 2010 after the exit of Ashok Chavan in the wake of the Adarsh Housing Scam.
Union minister of state for communication and IT Milind Deora had recently rued that “decision deficit” in Maharashtra government has led to delayed execution of projects in the state.
The two-term MP from South Mumbai, however, in his tweet, did not doubt the “sincerity” of the Maharashtra chief minister.
Chavan's government had claimed two days back that it had succeeded in getting Rs 2,000 crore of additional outlay from the Centre for various schemes in the last year.
“Chavan's able leadership helped the state to secure as many as Rs 12,300 crore of Central funds in 2011-12 for 16 prominent projects as against Rs 10,336.19 crore in 2010-11 and Rs 9258.34 crore in 2009-10,” an official release had said.
A section in the Congress feels that Chavan cannot lead the party in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state scheduled for 2014.
The meeting took place at a time when the high command is looking for a new PCC President as also new President for the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee.
It has also come at a time when the Congress President is busy taking inputs from leaders on the strategy ahead for Maharashtra where the party is in a coalition with Sharad Pawar's NCP since 1999.
The meeting between the Chief Minister and Gandhi also comes close on the heels of tabling of a report of a high-level Committee on the Adarsh Housing scam and a CAG report on land scams allegedly involving his detractors.
