Won't be another Prithviraj Chavan: 4 takeaways from Fadnavis' interview

Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Maharashtra’s 18th Chief Minister on Friday, has said that he plans to “be ruthless in administration”, vowing to probe all scams regardless of outside support from the NCP, because he had been clearly told by the central party leadership that his “mandate was against corruption”.

The 44-year old, who is the first BJP Chief Minister of Maharashtra,  in a detailed interview  with the Times of India, talked about a range of issues from how he plans to root out corruption, to his worries about leading a minority government and his interests outside politics. Here are some takeaways from the interview.

1. The NCP is not going to get a get out of jail card just because they have promised outside support

The BJP may have used the surprise offer of ‘unconditional’ support (which was later revised to outside support) from the NCP to push the estranged Shiv Sena further into a corner, but it looks as though the ‘relationship’ between the two parties will end there.

After a sulking and humiliated Uddhav Thackeray was convinced to attend the swearing in ceremony by BJP leaders including LK Advani, Amit Shah and Fadnavis himself, it looks as though we may see a Shiv Sena - BJP combine in the Maharashtra government after all. This will free the BJP of the moral dilemma of having to depend on outside support from a party, that in public perception at least, is considered to be one of the most corrupt in the country. And this reflects in Fadnavis’ statements that he plans to investigate “all scams from Sharada to Irrigation”.

“I think we will not require NCP support. But, even if we do, I will probe every single scam”, he told the newspaper in response to a question on NCP support. In response to a later question he said, “Nothing will stop me, neither outside support nor abstention. I will do whatever I can do legally. My bosses will never restrain me from acting. I have been told this mandate is against corruption, so be ruthless. My priority is not the government’s survival. I don’t want to be a second Prithviraj Chavan.”

This is a clear indication that the BJP central leadership at least, is not willing to cut the NCP any slack.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign in fact, took NCP chief Sharad Pawar head on in his home constituency of Baramati, saying that he considered himself a ‘Shahenshaha’ and ‘Maharaja’, who was not accountable to the people of the state and calling the NCP the “Naturally Corrupt Party”. Following that tirade and attack, it would certainly have put the BJP in a morally uncomfortable position if it were to depend on the NCP for continued support.

What the BJP seems to have done in this case, is cleverly use every opportunity that came its way to its best advantage. It used the NCP when it wanted to put down the Shiv Sena, and now it is back to cajoling the Shiv Sena so that it is not over dependent on the NCP.

Politically well played.

2. Development will be a major focus

Fadnavis, who already has a reputation of being a good administrator seems to already have some blueprints in place for what he wants to achieve on the development front. During the interview, the new CM clearly laid out his top five priorities for the state of Maharashtra as a whole, as well as for the city of Mumbai. Among these are a “Right To Service Act” which will allow citizens to hold public officials who don’t do their work accountable, a pledge to create new infrastructure and revamp manufacturing and agriculture. And he seems confident that he will be able to deliver results despite his lack of administrative skills.

“It ultimately depends on management skills. It’s like you head an institution; so if you understand the rules and have a clear vision, you can perform”, he told the newspaper.

3. Vidarbha is on the back burner

Fadnavis may be a ‘son of Vidarbha’, but he doesn’t seem to be in much hurry to acquiesce to the demand of separate statehood for the region. He firmly told the newspaper that he is the CM for the ‘whole of Maharashtra’. “This is not an issue of regional pride or asmita for us. We don’t want to split states the way Congress partitioned Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Whenever you have emotion, you have a feeling for someone and an anti-feeling for someone. We don’t want this we-and they issue”, he said.

4. Fadnavis is a man in touch with his emotions

Admitting to the newspaper that he cries when he watches emotional movies or scenes, is the mark of a man who is extremely comfortable with himself and knows the value of giving the media a good anecdote that it can run with.

His wife, as we mention here , demonstrates a similar ability. Her anecdotes like his, are pithy and interesting (like the fact that she called him ‘sir’ during the early part of their marriage) and she is also social media savvy.