Congress pays the price for SEZ push

MUMBAI: This could well go down as the first political casualty of the SEZ drive. The Peasants and Workers Party’s (PWP) aggressive campaign that “vote for the Congress is vote for SEZ” seems to have led to the Congress’ defeat in the Zilla Parishad polls in Raigad district where the Maha Mumbai SEZ is coming up.

Though the Congress has improved its tally in Maharashtra, it suffered a setback in Raigad. In the 62-member Zilla Parishad, the party could win only 5 seats, while the PWP walked away with 22. Significantly, the Shiv Sena, which too has been opposing the SEZ, was elevated to the number two position with 15 seats. However, the BJP drew a blank, while the NCP, which has maintained a neutral stand on SEZs, won 14.

“The SEZ controversy has certainly played a decisive role in the Congress’s defeat. The party has paid the price for not obeying Sonia Gandhi’s stay order on SEZs,” said Hussein Dalwai, the party’s Konkan division head. He admitted that the state’s decision to make fertile land available for the SEZ has been a grave mistake. According to him, the party’s performance is particularly dismal considering the heavyweights — one central minister, one state minister, one former central ministers and two MLAs — it has in Raigad. Prashant Thakur, Panvel municipal council president and a Congressman, also admitted that the SEZ issue has backfired.

The Congress story has a twist. Ravisheth Patil, minister of state for PWD and forests, had fielded three family members — his wife and two sons. While the lady won, one of his sons lost and a repolling has been ordered in the other constituency.

Mr Patil, being part of the government, is supporting the project. Political observers attribute the Congress’ defeat to its anti-people stand on the sensitive issue of SEZ. Though the PWP was late in pursuing the anti-SEZ line, it managed to raise the pitch at the right time. Just a few days before the poll, the PWP appealed to voters asking them to support the Congress only if they want the SEZ to come up. “Voting for the Congress is like saying yes to SEZ,” the PWP had said in its campaign.