Swabhimani Paksha: Will leader and minister part ways?

MUMBAI CITY NEWS: The party has decided to reconsider its decision on Khot’s induction as a minister in the Fadnavis government as a nominee. Khot was inducted in the Fadnavis government as the minister of state for agriculture in July, last year, after a reshuffle in the ministerial council.

Swabhimani Paksha, the NDA ally headed by farmers’ leader Raju Shetti, could be heading for a split as all is not well between him and Sadabhau Khot — his lone minister in the BJP-led state government.

Education minister Vinod Tawde with farmer leader Raju Shetti. (HT file)

Khot had skipped party’s Mumbai-Pune march, which was organised to protest against the farmers’ issues, including the demand for farm loan waiver.

Moreover, Khot on Sunday campaigned for BJP candidates in the Panvel municipal corporation polls, ignoring that his party was contesting the polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena, another ally of the BJP. This has led to speculations that Khot will break away from his organisation and join the BJP soon.

The party has decided to reconsider its decision on Khot’s induction as a minister in the Fadnavis government as a nominee. Khot was inducted in the Fadnavis government as the minister of state for agriculture in July, last year, after a reshuffle in the ministerial council.

Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana is a farmers’ organisation that had supported the BJP through its political arm Swabhimani Paksha in 2014. The split could affect the organisation as Shetti, MP from western Maharashtra, may also quit the NDA in retaliation.

Shetti said that he didn’t want to comment on what Khot was doing and was concentrating only on the Aatmklesh Yatra (repentance march), a march from Pune to Mumbai that he was taking out to repent the decision of supporting the BJP in the 2014 elections.

He, however, added that the party state executive committee will take a decision on Khot’s induction as their nominee in the BJP-led state government. The meeting will be held immediately after the march.

Shetti has been openly supporting the demand of waiving off farmers’ loans. He was also present at the farmer’s rally led by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray in Nashik.