A day after Maharashtra Cabinet expansion, a season of discontent: from Chhagan Bhujbal to Sudhir Mungantiwar

Bhujbal Monday left Nagpur for his hometown Nashik on the first day of the Winter Session of the state legislature.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan before leaving for Nashik, Bhujbal said, “Seven to eight days ago, they (NCP leadership) asked me whether I want to go to Rajya Sabha to which I said no. Resigning from the Assembly and going to Rajya Sabha would have been a betrayal to the voters of my constituency. I asked for Rajya Sabha a few months ago but was denied then. That was the only time when my party leadership called on me”.

“I stood for the OBC community at a time when I was being attacked from all sides… It (denial of a Cabinet berth) could be the prize for this,” said the former minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government.

A senior Other Backward Class leader, Bhujbal had opposed quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s demand of granting OBC status to all Marathas, which had led to a very public face-off between the two.

Bhujbal maintained that he was returning to Nashik on Monday as many workers and well-wishers were waiting for him in his hometown. He did not specify whether he will return to Nagpur for the rest of the Maharashtra Assembly session.

NCP minister Hasan Mushrif said the party leadership will talk to Bhujbal. “I am sure that our party leaders will talk to him (Bhujbal) and sort out all the problems,” said Mushrif.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who left for Delhi on Monday, was unavailable for comment till the time of filing the report.

While discontent is brewing in the NCP, all is not well in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP, too.

After Sena MLA Narendra Bhondekar expressed his discontent over being denied the ministership and resigning from the party posts, his party colleague Vijay Shivtare — one of the main contenders for a ministerial berth who was
not considered — also talked about his displeasure.

“I will not take the ministership now after two and half years. Maharashtra has turned into Bihar. Instead of keeping regional balance, preference is being given to caste equations. I am hurt not because I was denied the ministership, but I am hurt because of the treatment I received from three leaders [of the Mahayuti]. We are not slaves of these leaders,” Shivtare, the Sena MLA from Purandar and a former minister, said.

Sources said senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, another leader who was denied a ministership, did not attend the first day of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly. Independent MLA Ravi Rana, one of the hopefuls for the ministership, too, was not present on the first day.

Sena MLA Prakash Surve who was hoping for the ministerial berth said that he was neglected because he comes from a poor family background and the party prefered the influential leaders.

“I was the first MLA from Mumbai to join Eknath Shinde after his rebellion. My house was attacked and I was defamed because of that. If Eknath Shinde had given me a chance, I would have worked hard for the benefit of the party,” Surve said adding that he now left it on Shinde to do justice with him.

Sena MLA Rajendra Gavit, a tribal leader, who was also not inducted into the Cabinet expressed his displeasure over the fact that not a single tribal face was included in the ministry from Sena, despite the party having five to six tribal MLAs.

“Both NCP and BJP have given tribal MLAs a place in their cabinet. However, even as Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena has six tribal MLAs, none were in the cabinet. The previous government had also taken the tribal community for granted. However, we are still hopeful that the one vacant seat in the cabinet may go to Shinde and he may induct a tribal MLA,” Gavit said.

BJP MLA Sadabhau Khot also expressed his displeasure saying that even as he has worked closely with all the three ruling alliance partners, he was neglected.

Former Sena Minister Tanaji Sawant, who also seemed upset after not being inducted into the cabinet, skipped the first day of winter session of the Assembly.

Sawant who was in Nagpur on Sunday, left the city after he learnt that his name is not there in the list.

Sena MLA Arjun Khotkar from Jalna also expressed his displeasure saying that the Jalna district has not got representation which was necessary and hoped that it will be considered in the future.

He, however, like Sawant also stayed away from attending the session and returned to his constituency.

After internal discontent within the Shiv Sena came to light with several leaders and MLAs expressed their displeasure, a Sena functionary said that the Deputy CM and party chief Eknath Shinde has considered taking a tough decision on those who are making such statements and has warned that such leaders will not get ministerial posts again.

“Only those who will follow the party orders and decision and will work for the development and party will be given an opportunity in the future,” the Sena functionary said.