Junior ministers carp about seniors, Sena ministers crib to Shinde about Ajit

The state cabinet has six MOSes—three from the BJP, two from the Shiv Sena and one from the NCP—while the remaining 36 are cabinet ministers.

MUMBAI: Junior ministers or ministers of state (MOS) in the Mahayuti government have sought the intervention of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the matter of delegation of powers by the cabinet ministers of their departments to clear files, hold hearings and other policy-related decisions.

Junior ministers have sought the intervention of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the matter (ANI)

The state cabinet has six MOSes—three from the BJP, two from the Shiv Sena and one from the NCP—while the remaining 36 are cabinet ministers. The BJP’s MOSes have written to the CM both independently and jointly for his intervention. Their gripe is that despite being sworn in seven months ago, the cabinet ministers have not delegated powers to them, and they have been left with trifling jobs such as receiving memorandums and giving replies to the questions during assembly sessions.

“Junior ministers like Madhuri Misal and Meghana Bordikar have written to the CM,” said a senior BJP leader. “The departments they represent are mostly headed by Shiv Sena leaders who have not delegated any powers. For instance, as MOS of the urban development department, powers to hold hearings on town planning and policies related to some urban local bodies are expected to be delegated but Sena ministers have not done it so far.”

The leader said that the MOSes had written such letters to Fadnavis in the past as well. “The CM has assured the junior ministers that he will look into the matter at the earliest,” he said. “The decision is likely to happen before the monsoon session, which begins on June 30.”

The BJP leader added that this sort of thing happened in almost all coalition governments, but the tussle had intensified this time. “The Sena ministers, particularly, have not delegated powers to their MOSes,” he said. “Ministers of state from the Shiv Sena, on the other hand, have been given powers by the BJP ministers of their departments. For instance, minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam, a Sena leader, has been given specific powers by CM Fadnavis, who heads the department. Similarly, another Sena MOS, Ashish Jaiswal, has been given some powers by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in the finance department.”

When questioned, Jaiswal said, “The MOSes who have capabilities get powers.”

According to Sena leaders, there is a lot for junior ministers to do in their departments if they have the capability and know how to use their powers. “Jaiswal and Kadam have been working efficiently and have played a key role in the decisions and policies of their respective departments,” said a Sena leader.

Meanwhile, senior ministers in the Mahayuti too have similar issues. A recent review meeting convened by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde to assess the performance of Shiv Sena-led departments before the local body polls turned into a litany of complaints against NCP leader and finance minister Ajit Pawar. The Sena ministers complained that the discretionary powers held by Ajit were being used to deprive their departments of budgetary funds. Shinde, however, assured his ministers that he would raise the issue with Ajit and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.