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Uddhav camp slams Shinde govt for no woman in cabinet: ‘Where’s the unhinged…?’
Eighteen legislators, including state BJP president Chandrakant Patil, were sworn in as cabinet ministers at Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai.
The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena attacked the Eknath Shinde-led government over the composition of the new Maharashtra cabinet, which was expanded after 40 days. Highlighting the absence of women in the 20-member Shinde cabinet, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned the silence of women leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"Can’t understand why women leaders in BJP are okay with being treated like 2nd class citizens rather than as equals. Where’s the unhinged mantri ji, why the silence now?" the Rajya Sabha member tweeted, in an apparent reference to Union minister Smriti Irani.
“Just espouse the cause of mahila sashaktikaran by words and not action?”
Chaturvedi also accused the Maharashtra government of step-motherly treatment to Mumbai, saying only one MLA from the city was accommodated in the cabinet.
“Sad to see only one MLA from Mumbai accommodated as a Minister in the cabinet. The step-motherly treatment to Mumbai is obvious,” she said.
In another tweet, she added, "Must feel for those who missed out despite betraying @ShivSena only to become mantris, don’t want to name & embarrass them further.
The inclusion of Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod in the cabinet also caused flutter in the BJP camp, with party's state vice-president Chitra Wagh calling it “unfortunate”. Rathod had to resign from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government due to charges in connection with a death of a Pune-based woman.
“It is very unfortunate that former minister Sanjay Rathod, who caused the death of Pooja Chavan, has been given the post of minister again. Even though Sanjay Rathod has become a minister again, I will continue my fight against him,” Wagh tweeted.
“Feel for Chitra Wagh ji. All the efforts made, totally ignored,” Chaturvedi tweeted.
