21 March,2011 06:59 AM IST | | Sanjeev Devasia
The Chief Minister's relief fund is seeing a sudden surge of donations, courtesy the birthday diktat of Prithiviraj Chavan in which he has instructed party workers to stop splurging on posters and banners.
Several Congressmen have already donated large sums of money to the relief fund.
After CM Prithviraj Chavan's birthday, the CM's fund was richer by Rs 6 lakh
According to officials from the Chief Minister's Office, the contribution on account of the CM's birthday, March 17, has amounted to around Rs 6 lakh.
Prominent Congressmen, who have contributed large sums of money, include Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) president Kripashankar Singh, who donated a sum of Rs 1,11,111.
Minister of State for Finance, Energy and State Excise Rajendra Mulak and Mathadi Kamgar Union leader Baburao Samishte have donated Rs 1 lakh each.
The list doesn't end here. If Thane District Congress Committee president Balasaheb Purnekar donated Rs 65,000, former ministers Shobha Bacchav and Rajendra Thorat have given away Rs 11,000 each to the relief fund.
Though Mulak is a junior minister in the present cabinet, he is considered to be very close to the Chief Minister.
MRCC president Kripashankar Singh has been making the right noises from the time Chavan has taken over as CM including offering to vacate the Kalina Assembly seat for the Chief Minister to get elected to Legislative Assembly. Purnekar and Samishte were considered close to former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
Banish banners
Earlier too, after taking over as CM, Chavan had asked BMC Commissioner to remove all illegal hoarding and banners congratulating him as the new CM.
