As the Congress-led Democratic Front government braces itself for the vote of confidence in the Maharashtra assembly on June 13, Congress general secretary Vayalar Ravi has set up base in Mumbai.

The Kerala politician has had numerous meetings with party leaders and workers and is confident that Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh will prove his majority in the assembly. Excerpts from an interview with Vijay Singh.

What is the reason for the political uncertainty in Maharashtra?

There was a dispute over the Raigadh district election between the Peasants and Workers Party and Sunil Tatkare of the Nationalist Congress Party. The PWP felt because of him [Tatkare] they lost in Raigadh district. At the PWP's request we told the NCP to drop him from the ministry which they did.

Later their fact finding committee cleared him of all charges and there was pressure on Chief Minister Deshmukh to reinduct him, which we did. This is a small issue for the Congress but a big issue for the PWP as Raigadh is their base.

Did you face such a problem earlier?

I haven't seen such a problem earlier. But these problems are common in a coalition government. Such problems should be sorted out by dialogue. Like in Kerala, we sort out differences among the United Democratic Front constituents.

Will there be a change in the Congress leadership in Maharashtra after the vote of confidence?

This is not the time to discuss this issue. There is no agenda, no programme about a change of leadership in Maharashtra.

Some sources say Mr Deshmukh's rivals within the Congress promoted this crisis? Will the party take action against them?

I don't know who is promoting this. I don’t know who is doing this, how then can the party take action? This is not the time to discuss who is doing what, this is the time to win the vote of confidence.

The Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party are hungry for power, they are doing unethical things. Their leadership in Delhi is helping them in Maharashtra.

Are you confident that Mr Deshmukh will win the vote of confidence? The Opposition claims it has 154 MLAs, a clear majority in the 288-member assembly.

I am sure Deshmukh will prove his majority. I have no doubts. I can't tell you how. In war, the commander never reveals his strategy. You will see we are the winners. Let the Opposition claim they have a majority.

After winning the vote of confidence, what if there is a problem again? Is the Congress ready for a mid-term election?

No, we don't want an election. The DF government tries to rectify differences between coalition partners. Such small problems are common in a coalition government. Look at the National Democratic Alliance government, Mamata Banerjee goes out and comes back, the TDP had some problems and sorted it out, same with George Fernandes he goes out and comes back. In a coalition government these ups and downs in the graph are always acceptable. But through a dialogue these can be sorted out.

According to some reports the Congress is harassing NCP workers by filing cases against them.

The home portfolio is with the NCP, how then can we harass them? Policing is not our job, it is the job of the NCP. I have not heard any such thing. It may be propaganda.

The PWP and the Republican Party of India are pressurising the state government for a compromise. Will this strategy work in the long term?

They are not pressurising the government. They are in the government. Their problem is a district problem. I look at it from a different angle. They (the PWP) are strong in that district (Raigadh) so it is a big problem for them to lose the district election. I am not blaming them or anyone for this. I have appealed to the PWP to look at the national interest. They suffered in Raigadh district and that has been rectified, Sunil Tatkare resigned. We have decided that a PWP nominee will be president of the Raigadh zilla parishad, and it will be done. This way every small party will have equal importance in the Democratic Front government. This is the Congress perspective.

Is there any way the Congress can run the coalition government effectively?

We have a code which we have to use to strengthen the Democratic Front government. After the vote of confidence, we will sort out all differences by dialogue. There is no issue which cannot be sorted out by dialogue. I will address every political party to come together and sort out their differences through dialogue. The Congress will take the leadership for this.

Why did the Congress send its MLAs out of Maharashtra?

It's not possible to give 100 to 200 policemen (as protection) for the MLAs. The BJP-Sena are adopting the same strategy.

Are you happy with the Deshmukh government's performance?

My party did well in Maharashtra. There were some internal problems but every state government and every political party has some problem. Whether it is the BJP, the Shiv Sena or the Marxist party.

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