NEW DELHI: NCP veteran politician Chhagan Bhujbal, who is unhappy after being overlooked for a cabinet berth in the newly sworn-in Fadnavis government, appealed to his supporters to express their discontent in a “civil” manner rather than resorting to derogatory actions against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
The response came after various OBC organisations and activists held a ‘show of strength’ event in Nashik under the banner of his social organization Samta Parishad to press the Mahayuti alliance to include the former minister in the cabinet.
“Putting up banners against Ajit Pawar, hurling slippers at his photos and speaking nonsense against him – don’t do all this. If you do this, it means that you are not our members…There is no prohibition on you (supporters) expressing your pain and anger. But you must express yourself in civil words and manner,” he said a day after he hit out at the party leadership over his exclusion from the new council of ministers.
Bhujpal said on Tuesday that Maharashtra’s newly elected chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had supported his inclusion in the cabinet. While he expressed no disappointment over not being appointed as a minister, he admitted feeling humiliated by the way he was treated.
“All three (Fadnavis, Patel and Tatkare) wanted me as a minister in the new govt. They made all efforts to convince Ajit dada. On the day of the swearing-in ceremony too, Fadnavis tried to convince him to have me in his cabinet. I don’t know why Ajit dada felt I should not be included. It is for him to explain,” Bhujbal said.
Riled up by his exclusion, OBC organisations and activists protested, criticising the Mahayuti’s decision to drop his name from the cabinet. Several organisations, including Samata Parishad, OBC Bahujan Aghadi, and Sakal OBC Samaj, staged protests across the state. On Tuesday, a group demonstrated outside Pawar’s residence in Baramati, with similar protests taking place in Pune, Nashik, Beed, and Jalna districts.
However, NCP state president and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare said the party will resolve all issues with Chhagan Bhujbal. Tatkare also denied that deputy CM Ajit Pawar skipped state legislature proceedings on Monday and Tuesday due to being angry over portfolio allocation.
“Ajit dada was resting at home due to being unwell,” said Tatkare.