Mumbai: Adding fuel to the ongoing fire, the Shiv Sena in an editorial in its party mouthpiece Saamna admitted that there had been a tussle among the Sena and its two allies -- Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) -- over the allocation of ministerial berths.
“The Maharashtra cabinet expansion was delayed but it was finally done. There were some voices of discontent from those who could not make the cut from the three parties, but the number of probables were huge,” said Sena.
It mentioned that no member of the party was promised a berth earlier and the decision was taken after hectic discussions and considerations.
The Sena also took a dig at the Congress with reference to party workers vandalising the Congress office in Pune after MLA Sangram Thopte was rejected a ministerial berth.
Saying such actions do not suit the Congress culture, the editorial stated, “Congress used to call Shiv Sena's hooliganism as Rada culture, but what the Congress supporters did is exactly the same.”
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant affirmed there have been some legitimate demands made by Congress but it has nothing to do with political tussle.
“We demanded cabinets related to agriculture and farming to strengthen our base in Maharashtra. Congress has a stronghold in the rural parts of Maharashtra and we know the agricultural parts of the state inside-out and we demanded these berths only for the betterment of the state,” stated Sawant.
NCP legislator and spokesperson Nawab Malik also stated there has been no indifferences among the parties, and the alliance formed the government together and will work together towards the progress of the state.
Also taking a jibe at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Sena stated that the BJP may be bubbling over such negative developments among the allies but the Fadnavis government was not an exception to such discontent over cabinet expansions.
