Minister Sattar claims conspiracy against him by his own party

Sattar alleged that certain party members who had failed to get ministerial berths in the state government could have been part of the conspiracy, and said that he had complained against them to the chief minister.

Mumbai: The internal rift in Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), the party led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, appears to be growing with every passing day. On Saturday, state agriculture minister Abdul Sattar alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to defame him by leaders from his own party. Sattar alleged that certain party members who had failed to get ministerial berths in the state government could have been part of the conspiracy, and said that he had complained against them to the chief minister.

Minister Sattar claims conspiracy against him by his own party

“I got suspicious when I read a news report that was based on an internal discussion held at the chief minister’s official residence,” said Sattar in an interaction with ABP Majha news channel on Saturday. “I told the CM that someone among us was spreading misinformation, which is unfair. How do confidential discussions reach the media? I will not say who he is, but this is wrong and the CM should investigate.

“Someone wants to be minister in my place. He will get a chance if I am removed. What else could it be?” the agriculture minister said, explaining why he was being targeted by his own partymen.

This is the first time that a senior minister from the BSS has made such a serious allegation. It has brought to the fore the growing internal rift in the party which was formed only six months ago following a split in the original Shiv Sena.

Sattar’s very public accusations are being seen as an indication that things are not hunky dory in the Shinde-led faction, which rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership and brought down the MVA government in June 2022. It is also a fact that many MLAs from BSS are unhappy about not being made ministers and have been giving veiled signals to Shinde that they should be considered for the next cabinet expansion.

Sattar’s outrage came following allegations of scams and irregularities against him, for which the Opposition sought his resignation. He was accused of illegally allotting 37.19 acres of grazing land in Washim, estimated to be worth ₹150 crore, to a local resident. Later, he was also accused of forcing officials to sell passes to the Sillod festival in Aurangabad to the agriculture department’s suppliers. Following this, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that action would be taken against anyone found guilty.

Sattar’s statement has not gone down well with the party. BSS’s chief whip Bharat Gogawale said there was no rift in the party and the minister should have avoided passing such remarks. Gogawale, who is also a contender for a ministerial berth, said, “We all are waiting (to become ministers) but that does not mean we are doing anything (against those who are part of the cabinet). We can understand the problems pertaining to the cabinet expansion.”

Gogawale said that CM Shinde was taking everyone along. “There is nothing like a rift in the party and things have been blown out of proportion if at all there was anything like that,” he said.

Sattar is not alone. Before him, Nashik MLA Suhas Kande had openly expressed his discontent against Dada Bhuse, state ports and mining minister who is also the guardian minister of Nashik district. Kande was upset with the minister for not inviting him to important meetings of the district. He has also said that good-for-nothing people have been chosen in the organisation at the district level, and he has already complained about them to the chief minister.