The Maharashtra chief minister, Mr. Vasantrao Patil, has reacted to attempts to harass and, if possible, topple him as any self-respecting and honourable man in his position would do in a flush of anger and frustration. And he has reasons to be both angry and frustrated – angry because the move to force him out has gathered momentum in the past one week or so and frustrated because the party high command has made no attempt to discipline the so-called loyalists (those who stayed on in the Congress (I) when Mrs Gandhi was out of office), though it must know that Mr Patil has restored respect for the Maharashtra government and that none of those spearheading the campaign against him can replace him without once again reducing the state’s administration to a shambles and depriving the ruling party of even a semblance of respectability. For, pray, who are these men? Mr. AR Antulay who was forced to resign as chief minister following a judgment of the Bombay high court holding him guilty of abuse of office. Mr. Babasaheb Bhosale, who was asked by the party’s central leadership to resign because he just could not manage to command anyone’s respect despite his honesty. Mr. Ramrao Adik who never contested and won an election and cannot possibly lead the party at the hustings. The MPCC (I) chief, Mr. Kamble, a light-weight with little standing either among the people or the party workers.
But when Mr. Patil offered himself as a candidate for the office of chief minister of Maharashtra, he should have known that he would be harassed and should, therefore, have been prepared for the subsequent harassment. In accepting the position, he also accepted, and not by implication alone, that the central leadership will have a voice in his decisions on important issues. It, for example, scrutinized his list of cabinet colleagues and only the names approved by it figured in the final selection. He cannot now argue that he owes his office to the state Congress (I) legislature party, that since he has been challenged he would seek a vote of confidence from it and that if he fails to get it, he would quit. He may have more confidence in the integrity of the party legislators than a lot of people in Maharashtra. But that is not particularly relevant in this regard, the pertinent issue being that he cannot go to them for a vote of confidence without the permission of the party high command. There can be genuine differences of opinion on whether the central leadership should interfere in such matters. But Mr. Patil cannot suddenly behave as if the existing arrangement does not exist. The Congress (I) high command, too, must do its duty by Maharashtra and itself. Maharashtra is just not another state. Bombay and its environs are the industrial-commercial-financial heart of India. And the party’s fortunes can only plummet if the government is destabilized and there is another change of chief minister. Surely it cannot wish Maharashtra to go the Andhra way.