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Mumbai: In an apparent snub to former Legislative Assembly Speaker and incumbent Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar on Thursday expressed full faith in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He said this while replying to queries from newspersons over the Legislative Assembly Speaker issuing directives to the government to frame law whereby the voters in the state are given the option of choosing between the paper ballot or the EVM in elections.
His remarks come barely a week after the then Legislative Assembly Speaker Nana Patole acting on a petition/memorandum submitted to him by Nagpur based activist Pradeep Mahadevrao Uke.
Reacting to the Congress demand, Pawar remarked that Patole was the Speaker when he gave the directive, now he is the state Congress president. He added that there can be differences of opinion over the issue.
“The Congress came to power in Rajasthan and Punjab in assembly elections held using EVMs. When a political party gets absolute majority then the EVM is fine. If not then the allegations are levelled that the EVMs have been managed. In a Lok Sabha election for 48 seats in Maharashtra party’s bag varying number of seats, then the EVM is Ok. Today it is the age of going paperless. I have full faith in the EVM”, remarked Pawar.
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Replying to queries over the re-election to the Speakers post and Congress claim to second Deputy Chief Minister’s post, the senior NCP minister pointed out that in the past there has been agreement with the Opposition over the Deputy Speakers post. The party in power and the opposition have to work in unison in the Assembly. He added that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies will talk to Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrakant Patil about the same.
On the issue of Congress demanding a second Deputy Chief Ministers post, Pawar stated that the MVA government came into being because of Congress working president Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray agreeing on who gets which portfolio. So far the MVA government has completed one and half years in power. Pawar added that if any changes are to be made in the government the top three leaders of the MVA alliance will take a call on it.
Replying to queries over teachers from government aided schools agitating for their dues at Azad Maidan, he said that the schools will have to adhere to the norms laid down by the government for allocation of government grants. The schools have to employ teachers from Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe categories, have playgrounds and other facilities. The necessary Government Resolutions (GRs) have been issued, the government needs to check whether the schools have followed the norms or not.
When asked to comment upon media reports quoting some American Lab findings that the evidences against the jailed activists in the Bhima-Koregaon case were concocted, the Deputy Chief Minister sarcastically remarked that the government will now have to be told by some American Lab about investigations. Pawar said that the state government too has its own investigation agencies.
He further added that the government firmly believes that no innocent person should be held and the guilty are brought to justice. If anyone tries to create any law and order problems then there are constitutional remedies. He further added that the demand for setting up Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the state cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Left parties have demanded the release of all those held in the Bhima-Koregaon case. The Left has cited media reports claiming that the evidence against them was concocted.
When asked for his comments on the precarious financial condition of the state, the Finance Minister stated that he has been holding review meetings of all the key revenue generating departments of tax revenue collections. Pawar stated that in the last 10 months in the aftermath of the Covid-19 induced lockdown the government has imposed no cuts to budgetary allocations of Social Justice, Public Distribution, Public Health and other government departments.
Pawar did admit that there has been a revenue shortfall experienced in government departments like State Excise. In the case of Goods and Services Tax (GST) the center and state share the revenue income. Pawar stated that the government will have to find a way out to augment its revenue income.
