Statue Unveiling Controversy Deepens Rift Talk Within Mahayuti Allia
Shinde Sena leader and Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat said it was improper to exclude Mr Shinde and he will raise the issue in this week’s cabinet meeting before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Mumbai: The issue of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde not being invited for the inauguration of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Navi Mumbai International Airport is likely to dominate the Maharashtra Government’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Upset over the incident, leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have threatened to raise the matter in the cabinet meeting.
Shinde Sena leader and Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat said it was improper to exclude Mr Shinde and he will raise the issue in this week’s cabinet meeting before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He alleged that officials may have acted under political pressure (for not inviting Shinde for the statue inauguration).
“If some officials are acting under the pressure of political leaders, they should restrict themselves to their official duties. They should not enter politics. If officials try to become politicians, action can be taken against them as well,” Shirsat said.
His remarks came after Fadnavis inaugurated a 20-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the entrance of Navi Mumbai International Airport on the occasion of the Coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Day on Saturday.
However, Shinde, who is the guardian minister of the Thane district, was conspicuous by his absence at the event.
The unveiling was done in the presence of senior BJP minister Ganesh Naik and local BJP legislators Prashant Thakur and Mahesh Baldi. NCP minister Aditi Tatkare was also present during the inauguration.
Taking a dig at Shinde, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve has called it a sidelining of DCM and claimed that fissures are growing within the ruling MahaYuti alliance in the state.
“Navi Mumbai falls in Thane district and Eknath Shinde is the guardian minister of the district. If he is not invited to a program in his own district, it is clear which direction the politics is heading. It shows that they do not want Eknath Shinde,” Danve said.
“There is widespread dissatisfaction in the alliance. They cannot get along with each other, but they cannot do without each other. Both sides are trying to undermine each other,” he added.
There has been a long-standing rivalry between Eknath Shinde and Ganesh Naik over political influence in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, particularly in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli. The differences have continued even after the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena became alliance partners in Maharashtra and at the Centre.