BOMBAY, 1 November 2003 — Fresh troubles continue to further strain the relations between the Congress party and the National Congress Party in the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra.
Hardly had the issues of the Congress party President Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin and the Congress party candidate’s defeat in the Solapur by-election simmered down, a fresh issue and spat between the two coalition partners over the appointments of new police state chief and Bombay police commissioner has surfaced.
State Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has expressed his reservation over the proposal of his Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP to appoint S.M. Shangari, presently head of the Home Guards, as the new state police chief to replace O.P. Bali who is to retire shortly.
Shinde wants to scuttle the proposal of Bhujbal and is in favor of either of the two junior officers — Kamal Krishan Kashyap, additional director general of police (law and order) or Anami Narayan Roy, additional director general and commissioner of police, Pune. Shinde is of the opinion that Bhujbal’s nominee Shangari is a soft person, while Kashyap and Roy are known to be tough and no-nonsense police officers.
According to sources in the government, Shinde will lose to Bhujbal in this battle, and the latter will succeed in having his nominee as the next state police chief, a decision to be announced by late last night. The government has also to take a decision next week to appoint a new Bombay police commissioner in place of Ranjit Singh Sharma, who is set to retire by November end.
Sharma, like Shangari, too has been the nominee of Bhujbal superseeding several officers. The Bombay police chief is already in trouble over his alleged role in the fake stamp scam, with the Bombay High Court judges directing the government to probe his involvement in the scam prior to his retirement in November.
Though there are several candidates in the fray for the most prestigious post in the country and hectic lobbying has begun by interested officers, it is nearly confirmed that this post will be bagged by Additional Director General of Police V.N. Deshmukh, considered close to Bhujbal.
