Mumbai: Hours after the Mahayuti government stayed the decision of Aditi Tatkare and Girish Mahajan as guardian ministers of Raigad and Nashik but didn’t hand over the posts to Shiv Sena hopefuls Bharat Gogawale and Dadaji Bhuse, an apparently sulking Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde retreated yet again to his village Dare in Satara.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said this indicates internal discord in the Mahayuti alliance partners, while the Congress party tore into the government, saying the “unrest within is far from over”. Shinde’s displeasure notwithstanding, the lid has come off a fresh can of worms.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar and Raut cryptically indicated that Shiv Sena leader and State Industries Minister Uday Samant may emerge as an alternative to Shinde. Samant, who is currently in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was quick to refute the reports. However, by then the rumour mill was significantly abuzz about his strategic closeness with the BJP while maintaining a safe distance from his own party.
Eknath Shinde On Wadettiwar & Raut's Comments
Shinde later spoke to the media at his farmhouse in Dare but did not react to Wadettiwar and Raut’s comments. He claimed there was nothing wrong with his ministers expecting to be guardian ministers too. “Gogawale is not wrong (in his expectations) as he has worked for several years in the Raigad district. Nothing is wrong in making certain demands. We – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and I – will sit together and find a way out,” he said.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde Denies Reports
Denying reports that he was upset, Shinde said, “Whenever I come to Dare, the media runs stories that I am upset. I have initiated the development of New Mahabaleshwar and this will help Satara’s emergence as a tourist district.” The BJP’s acting president in the state and revenue minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, said the issue will be discussed after the CM returns from Davos.
