Two days since the expansion of the Mahayuti Cabinet, controversies regarding ministerial berths refuse to die. The latest row is regarding Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar's decision to exclude OBC leader and former minister Chhagan Bhujbal from the new Cabinet.
Bhujbal has reacted to the daring move to sideline him within his party by stating that he will "decide on the future course of actions." He told reporters on Monday that he had no plans to attend the Winter Session of the Assembly underway in Nagpur.
On his next role within the party, Bhujbal gave a noncommittal answer, stating "he would have to discuss it with his workers."
"I am meeting with the party workers in Yeola and Lasalgaon and the activists of the Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad. I will also hold talks with workers from four districts, including Nashik. Only after that will I decide the next step. The activists are upset," Chhagan Bhujbal said while talking to the media.
Controversial stance
The OBC leader who held many important positions in Maharashtra politics took a strong stance on the Maratha reservation movement, which annoyed Pawar. Bhujbal openly took on Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil even when no leader within the Mahayuti Cabinet spoke against him. So much so that the NCP leadership feared this would affect the party's performance.
Bhujbal was not ready to listen to Pawar on the controversial issue and took an independent stand during Manoj Jarange's agitation.
However, the NCP couldn't afford to remove Bhujbal before the assembly elections. With the stunning performance in the Assembly elections, Pawar now gained the confidence to keep Chhagan Bhujbal away from the cabinet.
ED, BJP statement
Speculations are that Bhujbal's comments, which appeared in Rajdeep Sardesai's book '2024: The Election That Surprised India' too were problematic for the party.
Sardesai in his book mentions that Bhujbal said in 2023 that he and other party colleagues, who were summoned in the ED inquiry, heaved a 'sigh of relief’ after joining the Mahayuti with Ajit Pawar." Bhujbal also added that everyone felt there was no escape without joining hands with the BJP.
The publication of this book on the eve of the assembly elections had put Ajit Pawar in a dilemma.
Bhujbal, however, walked back from his statement stating he joined the BJP alliance because he wanted to be with Ajit Pawar. He also denied the claim that he joined the Mahayuti due to the ED case.
“The ED had arrested Anil Deshmukh and me. At that time, we all thought, we should go with BJP or Modi, or we won't be spared. We put the issue before Sharad Pawar. He understood the issue but was not ready to shake hands with the BJP. Eventually, we decided to join the BJP alliance with Ajit Pawar,” Bhujbal said.
