Politics
Will you be able to probe corruption allegations against NCP leaders if you have to survive on NCP support or abstention?
I think we will not require NCP support. But, even if we do, I will probe every single scam.
Will that include Adarsh, where four former chief ministers have been named?
Yes. I will at least revisit the case and see whether the decision taken by the earlier government was proper or in bona fide interest. I will reopen files if that is not the case.
Several senior politicians and nine bureaucrats have been held guilty. Will you take criminal action against ex-CMs?
If the report has evidential value and can be used in court, we will act on it.
There are specific observations against Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde.
Those specific observations (in the Adarsh report) have to be backed. There has been some wrong done but whether they got something in return for doing that (will have to be seen).... It may happen perhaps in Ashok Chavan's case. We will have to examine and see whether any direct connections are established in the case of the others. There will be a criminal case if that happens.
Will you probe the irrigation scam (allegedly involving Ajit Pawar) if you need NCP support?
Yes, we will probe if wrongdoing has been done irrespective of who supports us.
Will it be awkward if the NCP supports you?
My actions will speak louder than my words. 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.
Will you review the decisions taken by the previous government in the last few months?
I'll review them and, if they are not in public interest, will stay them. We will stay every single decision that is not in public interest.
What role does real estate play in corruption?
Don't blame them entirely. When a certain chief minister was there, they could do whatever they wanted to do. He just opened shop. So, if three things had to be calculated in FSI, then okay, done. Vilasrao Deshmukh kept himself graceful. But another chief minister had no control. Builders were also harmed; there was unbridled profiteering. And, when yet another chief minister came, he went to the other extreme. The industry came to a standstill. The government's job is to set up a framework within which people can profit.
What do you think of the practice of regularising illegalities?
It's very easy to bring everything on the e-tender platform, frame rules, and you submit plans according to them. The software and the computer will check and comment. But not even one corporation has done it successfully; the software here always needs human intervention and so is of no help at all. We want to have mandatory delivery through only e-service. We want to end corruption, dukandari bandh.
Maharashtra politics has been dominated by Marathas. Is the fact that you are a Brahmin an issue? Nitin Gadkari's also a Brahmin...
I think we have moved on. The demography of Maharashtra says the average age of people is 27; 50% are below 25. The issue for them is not caste or religion; secular or non-secular. For them, education, growth and employment matter. They will like a person from any caste if s/he performs. But caste still holds some weight in politics; people have changed but not parties' mindset. Parties are still defensive, thinking more about class, caste, community, these type of things.
Would you have been CM without the PM's and BJP president Amit Shah's support?
No. Both the Prime Minister and the BJP president look beyond all these things. They can sense people want progress, growth and a person who can deliver these and clean politics.
There were so many aspirants for CM. How will you manage?
There's no problem. Nitin Gadkari was misquoted and what happened misrepresented. Many of those MLAs went to meet Nitinji the first time after the polls and two-three people said they wanted him as CM. But ask anyone in Maharashtra whether they would like to see Nitin Gadkari or Eknath Khadse or Devendra Fadnavis as CM and many will say yes to everyone. There is no we versus they. Nitinji clarified but even that was misquoted. He said he was not interested and would accept the party's choice; but the media quoted him as saying he didn't want to be CM but would be okay if the parliamentary board chose him!
Do you think there could be a split in Sena or Congress?
Can't say anything, but there's a lot of unrest.
Will the cabinet be small?
It's better to have a small cabinet for a minority government. Maybe there will be 25-30 ministers.
Is the MIM's rise in Maharashtra a worry? Are Muslims losing faith in mainstream politics?
It's worrying. Muslims had faith in Congress but realised it was using them as a vote bank. The Congress could not create a sense of confidence among minorities. So a section is coming to the BJP and we have started eating into Congress votes. But Muslims still don't feel representatives from their community can be elected from the BJP and so have shifted to the MIM. It is polarisation but we want minorities to join the mainstream. It's what Narendrabhai says: "Sabka saath, sabka vikas."
Are the restrictions we have in Mumbai, say on bar closing times, right for a city that runs on a large service-sector economy that depends on youth and talent? Most modern cities (even 'strict' ones like Singapore) have eased up.
Personally, I don't believe in moral policing. But liberty defined by the constitution cannot be unlimited; but I can have liberty to the extent that it does not encroach on my neighbour's liberty. The moral policing word is not right but there's a thin line. Cops act like that under pressure, say, when there has been a theft; they can't do what they should do and so shut everything down. A lot has to change.
Why is the right-wing fringe not being told to shut up?
All organisations, even so-called rightwing groups, are not part of BJP or its offshoots.
But even BJP MPs have said a lot of things...
It has damaged the party's image.
Policy
A big reason for the decline of Mumbai is the decline of institutions such as Mumbai University. Higher education is a mess. How do you plan to stem this rot?
The basic problem with higher education is that the university Act is very static. We need more flexibility. If one department wants to adopt a new course, there are so many boards and authorities and necessary permissions that, by the time it changes, it becomes obsolete. We need more autonomy but with accountability.
But almost all the education barons in the state are big politicians. They have a vested interest in not allowing the system to be cleaned up...
I have noticed of late that higher education is commanded by shikshan samrats; politicians are packed in varsity senates and boards of studies; education barons have captured all institutions which now work to further their interests. We want to take institutions away from these shikshan samrats to shikshan maharishis (academicians). We will do what they did not allow for 15 years. We will have a comprehensive fee regulatory law and an authority. All the education barons have been MLAs and never allowed a comprehensive authority to come into existence. There was an affidavit from the current fee regulatory committee; it said it had one chairman, one part-time chartered accountant and four commerce graduates and had received 1,500 proposals (each of 500 pages). Indirectly, it tried to say it didn't look at any proposal and passed whatever was demanded. Dilip Walse-Patil tried to change things and I helped him but nothing came of it.
How does the scam work?
There are private colleges that run professional courses on government money; one private institute gets scholarships worth Rs 100 crore (100% free for SC and ST students and 60% for OBC students). They are not governed by government rules but get crores from the government. The principal of one college is the vice-principal of another and vice-versa.
When can the people of Maharashtra feel the difference that a new government has taken over?
Give me one month.
Vidarbha dilemma
You're from Vidarbha; will your appointment dampen the demand for statehood?
The question of smaller states is not an emotional issue for us; instead, they can be models of socio-economic development. We created three new states and all experiments have been successful. The smaller states (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand) are doing well and so have the bigger states from which they were carved out. 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.
Will you go in for a private referendum?
It's not yet time to have a referendum.
Will the issue dog your tenure?
There won't be any impact; I am responsible for the whole of Maharashtra.
What's his style
You have the image of being a nice person...
I know. Normally I am very soft, but in administration, I will be ruthless. There are certain issues you cannot compromise on.
There's a perception about Prithviraj Chavan not being able to balance corruption and action; corruption became an excuse for inaction. Also, there may be people around you whose integrity may not be of the highest standards...
I don't want to hold on to a chair. My priority is not that, my priority is not the government's survival. I don't want to be a second Prithviraj Chavan.
Have you told this to your bosses?
My bosses know I am of this view; it's the reason why they have chosen me. I have a directive to be ruthless. I have been told this mandate is against corruption, so be ruthless. I am so confident because I have the backing. Ulta-seedha kam karega, Delhi sath dega, aisa nahin hai (Delhi is not going to back you if you do something wrong). You will see a strong and ruthless Devendra Fadnavis. My only shortcoming is it is difficult for me to play politics; I am not made for that. But I know I have to do that when running a state and that too a minority government. That is one worry I have. I have never been negative in my life. I have always been a positive person.
Will power go to your head?
Never. That can never happen.
But power corrupts...
I have heard power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But that will never happen (with me). I have seen my father. Whenever I have some question in my mind, I try to analyse how my father would have done it. You do in your life what you see in your house. My father used to do selfless work. I inherited his legacy and his name. I was 17-18 when he died. We came from an average family but never had any trouble in my life. Wherever I went, people said: 'He is Gangadhar Fadnavis's son, he will be good, galat nahin ho sakta (can't do wrong).' I have experienced it: naam, achchha kaam, aakhri dum tak; you pass it on to your children. The day it goes, it will be my end; politically, it will be the beginning of my end.
You enjoy a clean reputation. What happens if a year from now people think it's back to business as usual?
I am worried about that, I am quite worried about that.
Is your youth a handicap?
I have been the party president for one-and-a-half years; I have already been accepted.
Will your lack of administrative experience be a disadvantage?
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. Narendra Modi had not even been a gram panchayat member before he became CM. But he has been one of the best. I have at least been a mayor. It may not be the right word but you can run the show even if you are street-smart.
Are you a micro-manager or big-picture person?
I'm a micro-manager.
Will you function more through your ministers or your bureaucrats?
I will depend on both. Talent is there. I will bring in some first-time MLAs as ministers.
Have you identified key bureaucrats?
Yes, I have; 70% of our bureaucrats are good but need leadership. I also know some of my new colleagues will perform well.
Are you worried? What's playing on your mind?
I am not nervous but there's a certain level of anxiety, like before a horse takes off. I feel a sense of responsibility. There are challenges and there is a will to do something.
Do you fear you'll need to make compromises?
Everything is a compromise, your whole life is a compromise. But you should know till what level you can compromise and at what level you allow things to break.
What do you think about security cover?
It can feel like prison if you are not used to it. I've never taken security. But I see even MLAs have security. And, the cops are happy doing odd jobs. Even a CM should get Z-plus security only if there's a threat perception.
You have a very young daughter. Will you be an absentee father?
I have always been an absentee father. I don't want to be, but I don't have any other option. But in Mumbai, I may get more time with my family than in Nagpur since I'll be stationed here for three-four days a week. I think my daughter realises I am doing something important.
How do you relax?
There's now no time to relax. But I love to watch comedy and action movies. My favourite film is Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. (Wife Amruta walks in as the conversation is winding down). I can't handle very emotional movies or scenes. I cry a lot. (Points to Amruta.) She can see what happens to me and she goes on embarrassing me in front of people.
We hear you are a music buff...
I know the lyrics of 2,000 songs by heart. But I don't know anything about tunes. Amruta knows everything about tunes. I prompt her when she forgets the lines. If I listen to the radio for 10 days I end up memorizing all the songs.
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