In Mount Abu recently, he told Shahid K Abbas that he had found a middle path for implementing POTA while taking credit for decentralizing power in his state as per the Guwahti Resolve adopted at the last Congress chief ministers’ conclave, held in April at Guwahati.

As Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that there is a great challenge before the Congress party beginning with the Gujarat election, followed by elections in nine other states and finally the Lok Sabha election. What steps have you initiated in this regard?

The main thing is transparency which we describe to be good governance and how corruption can be brought to zero level. In Maharashtra, we have computerised the entire registration process. The entire process that used to take months to return the document of registration to its owner now can be completed and returned within thirty minutes. Even the Chattisgarh chief minister [Ajit Jogi] said he would also like to implement this scheme in his state.

Therefore there are many such schemes as per which we want to increase transparency, accountability and give more powers to gram sabhas. The entire backlog pertaining to SCs STs, OBCs in the services we have directed to be cleared by December 31.

We also want to pass a law in this regard, for which a bill has also been introduced in the assembly.

Maharashtra is suffering from the menace of organized crime. What are you doing in this regard?

There has already been a law passed in Maharashtra in regard to organised crime.

What about the influence of the underworld in the film industry?

The underworld influence over the film industry has been considerably controlled. Anyone who comes out openly and complains, we have taken action.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has reportedly asked the Hindu community to also form suicide squads to counter the Jihadi militancy.

We have filed a case against him and now that would go to the legal department. On the second day he had reversed his stand.

All the chief ministers of the fourteen Congress ruled states had decided not to implement POTA in their respective states.

Our’s is a coalition government half of which is the Nationalist Congress Party. The NCP had supported POTA. The home ministry in our state is with the NCP. So we have so far only taken out a middle path -- that it is a law of the land which if the police feels fit they would utilise and if it feels otherwise it would not.

So you are carefully avoiding any confrontation with your partner?

That’s why we are running a coalition government smoothly.

What about the Srikrishna Commission Report. Are you implementing it in totality?

We have started acting upon its recommendations and there has been action as per its recommendation. We had arrested the concerned police commissioner and the case is now pending before the court.

What have been the things that you have not been able to fulfill so far?

A) You see the food for work scheme. Now you see we have an employment guaranteed scheme in which there is a greater cash component whereas the Food for work scheme, which is a Central government scheme for which they give food grains. But the transport cost for that in case if we have to get it from Punjab or Delhi for that we have asked for a 50 per cent subsidy from the Center. Besides, as we have an employment guaranteed schemes there was not much of a response from the people for the food for work scheme because as per the employment guaranteed scheme they get money while in the food for work they get food grains. This apart since this scheme was there from beginning the people is used to that scheme. And because we annually spend Rupees 550 to 600 crore on the employment guaranteed scheme we do not be able to lift our entire quota of grain under the food for work scheme. Q) What have you done on fiscal management? A) Also on fiscal management we have tried to minimize the deficit as much as possible. But, the earlier government had taken loan on such high rate of interest of 17.5 per cent. Now all that interest burden or that installments we are in the process of clearing that off. When took control of the government the burden of this loan was 48000 crores which has now gone up to 70000 crore. And the reason behind it that some of the incomplete job was to be first completed and for that we also had to take the same route that was already set up. To bring down the non-planned expenditures we have taken a number of steps. For that also we have declared a new policy such as to how the cars and the government vehicles should be used. We have also cut down on the telephone facilities to the ministers. We have also cut down the personal staff of the ministers and restricted the private secretary from travelling by air along with the minister. We have also imposed a ban on new recruitment. Now the 30000 posts that we have declared surplus that also we have stopped. So there are so many such steps that we have taken in this regard. Q) What have you offered to Rajasthan (as a relief measure) which was badly affected with drought? A) Maharashtra has always been in the forefront of extending relief to any state affected with natural calamity. Like in Orissa, only recently, I had inaugurated the cyclone house there. In Gujarat too we are setting up two villages. In case of Rajasthan the chief minister has not given any proposal so far. Once there is a proposal from him we would definitely take a favorable decision. Q) What are you doing to contain the return of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra? A) To stop any political group from growing you have to fight it out politically. There cant be any program from the side of the government to stop it for which are Congress party is fight it politically. But, what they talk of taking the land in their hand that would be dealt with legally. Q) For the last several months there were reports of discontent against you following which you visited Delhi quite frequently. Now do you think you have overcome it and are you feeling stable now? A) No, no! It was never there! Small, minor issues are always there in all states. This is nothing new for the Congress. And it is rather more difficult to run a coalition government. Q) How long you think this stability would continue? A) This will always be there. Three years have passed amidst all this rumors. Every day it was being speculated that it would run fifteen days; it would run one year………. Q) If you think that coalition arrangements can work then why your party is shying away from supporting Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi party? A) To get our support first he should clarify his numbers. Q) Would you favor a coalition government at the Center as well? A) It has always been the intention of the Congress to come to power on its own. We therefore work with that endeavor in mind. If we start talking of coalition from the beginning then will that not make it difficult to achieve our actual goal. Q) But do you favor or not? A) It depends on how the situation develops. Now you see in Maharashtra we were elected as the largest single party and to keep the communal forces out we had to take secular forces along and form a government. But, that is not a rule that we would no more try to come to power on our own and would always form a coalition. It is not so.