CHAITANYA MARPAKWAR Mumbai
Hes done it once but won’t be able to do it again: cling on to the home ministry. If political observers are to be believed, home minister RR Patils days are numbered and this time party chief Sharad Pawar, too, isn’t backing him.
Once considered his blueeyed boy, Pawars disappointment with Patils performance had already fuelled speculation that Patil would sooner or later be asked to exit the home ministry.
His poor handling of the August 11 riots seem to have come as the final nail, making it almost certain that Patil will be robbed of the home portfolio. Its not just the opposition and former top cops who have slammed him, his own party, which is backing him on record, is now looking for an alternative.
A senior NCP functionary pointed out that Patil had failed on multiple fronts. In a scathing comment, former top cop Julio Rebeiro had suggested that in spite of spending eight long years in the home department, Patil had failed to understand what policing was all about.
” He has failed on multiple fronts. From policing, transfers, anti- terror measures, bomb blasts and even politically.
In the recent local body polls, in Gadchiroli too, the NCP did not perform too well and trailed the Congress. A section of the party feels that a strong replacement will help salvage the partys image,” a NCP functionary said.
After his unceremonious exit from the department after the worst terror attack on the metropolis on November 26, 2008, he was reinducted into the cabinet and entrusted with the same portfolio.
However, his second stint, too, has been full of controversies, forcing many, including his mentor Pawar, to point out the mess in the home department. A cursory glance of the departments performance during the last four years leads one to the conclusion that there was a steady deterioration in law & order across the state.
Pawar had observed that there was complete failure of the intelligence- gathering network and law- enforcing agencies had not learned lessons from 26/ 11 and subsequent blasts in the state.
Despite the fact that Mumbai and Pune have been targets of terrorists, Patil was unable to install a CCTV network, procure bulletproof jackets, total containment vehicles and bomb disposal suits. In the recent past, conviction rates in the state have taken a massive dip while crime rates have seen a steep rise on the other hand.
Former IPS officers point out that instead of focusing on tackling the law and order situation in the state, Patil is focussing on issues like usurping transfers powers of even low ranking police officers from the Police Commissioner ( CP) and Director General of Police ( DGP).
” Apart from these systematic failures, major embarrassments like the killing of terror accused Qateel Siddiqui in Punes high security Yerwada prison have dotted his tenure. The Azad Maidan riots seem to have sealed his fate and now it appears to be a matter of time before he steps down,” a political observer said.
A former IPS officer pointed out that Patil dithered to take action on corrupt and controversial officers, which was one of the reason why he was being taken lightly by top cops.
A glaring example is the fact that no action had been initiated against the highranking police officials involved in the illegal and unauthorized procurement of sensitive security equipment too.
” Patil who started off as a man with a clean image has not lived up to expectations.
Pawars criticism has been a major setback for him. His fall has been as steady as his rise,” another NCP functionary said.
