Mumbai: Shiv Sena on Thursday admitted that there was a tussle among senior leaders of the three ruling alliance parties in Maharashtra for key Cabinet berths, and said some MLAs could not be inducted as ministers because the list of "probables" was huge.
It also took a dim view of some people vandalising the Congress office in Pune to protest against non-inclusion of party MLA Sangram Thopte in the ministry.
The Congress used to call Shiv Sena's protests as 'rada culture' (hooliganism), but what Thopte's alleged supporters did was exactly the same, it said.
This does not suit the "Congress culture", an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expanded his month-old ministry on Monday by inducting 36 ministers.
"The Cabinet expansion was, indeed, delayed but it finally happened. There were some sparks of disappointment from those who could not make the cut, but the list of probables was huge," the Shiv Sena said.
It said the opposition (BJP) may be "bubbling" over such developments, but even the previous Devendra Fadnavis government was no exception to such discontent during its Cabinet expansions.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also said it kept its word by inducting three Independents, who extended support to the Shiv Sena, unlike the Congress and NCP.
"A strong and experienced Cabinet is in power, it should be allowed to function," the Sena said.
On Shiv Sena MLA Bhaskar Jadhav expressing "shock" over his exclusion from the ministry, the Marathi daily said Cabinet berth was "not promised" to anyone, including Jadhav, who joined the Thackeray-led party after quitting the NCP.
"Jadhav claimed Thackeray promised to make him Cabinet minister. As per our information, no such promise was made to him. Thackeray must have asked him to join the Sena ahead of the Assembly polls and be part of the government," it said.
The Shiv Sena joined hands with the Congress and NCP, its traditional adversaries, after its alliance with the BJP collapsed over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post following the state Assembly polls held in October last year.
Noting that there was a tussle over portfolio distribution, the Shiv Sena said senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who has been inducted into the state Cabinet, needs a ministry like 'revenue'.
Just few days after the Maharashtra Cabinet expansion, Congress and Shiv Sena leaders who could not be a part of the MVA government's cabinet expressed their discontent. Amit Patel, a Congress MLA who won the Mumbadevi seat thrice, wrote a letter to party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi expressing his anguish as he was not alloted a Ministry. Malavani MLA Aslam Sheikh, who threatened to quit the party ahead of the Assembly elections, was alotted a Cabinet berth instead.
As quoted by Mumbai Mirror, party sources said, "Patel’s letter talks about his over 30-year-long association with the Congress, his contributions in the organisation and his loyalty." Patel, however, did not speak about the contents of the letter.
Speaking about the injustice against Patel, a senior Congress leader said,“He was the topmost contender for the ministerial berth, so Sheikh's inclusion came as a surprise to many. Sheikh, who had threatened to quit the party before the elections, was given a ticket at the lost moment," quoted Mumbai Mirror.
At least 12 Sena MLA have shown discontent for not being alloted a Cabinet berth. Pratap Sarnaik and Bhaskar Jadhav have openly expressed their discontent in this matter.
“Perhaps I failed in showing enough loyalty to the party leadership and I will make up for it in the future," Mumbai Mirror quoted Sarnaik as he spoke to the media.
Jadhav also alleged that he was promised a Ministry when he had joined the party.
Another Congress hopeful was three-time MLA Praniti Shinde, whose supporter wrote a letter in blood to party chief Sonia Gandhi, claiming that Shinde and her father worked hard for the party and always remained loyal to the leadership.
Praniti Shinde, the MLA from Solapur, is the daughter of veteran Congressman and former Maharashtra chief minister and Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
"Her father could become chief minister and Union home minister because of the Gandhi family and the Congress," the Sena claimed.
A Saamana editorial on Tuesday said that the induction of three independents from the Sena's quota for the exclusion of Sena leaders in the Cabinet.
Former Water Conervation Minister and Sena MLC Tanaji Sawant confronted party Chief and CM Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday to voice his concerns. Apparently, CM Thackeray tried to convince Sawant but he threated to quit the party. Thackeray, however, said ' Jai Maharashtra' and bid him goodbye.
Other leaders who have also expressed their anguish in the Sena include Sunil Prabhu, Prakash Abitkar, Sunil Raut, Deepak Kesarkar, Ravindra Waikar, Anil Babar, Sanjay Raimulkar, Sanjay Shirsat, and Ashish Jaiswal.
(With inputs from Agencies)
