Wary Shinde takes charge after CM’s order

Shinde said he had deferred taking charge on the advice of party state chief Raosaheb Danve

Water conservation minister Ram Shinde assumed charge of his department on Thursday, hours after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed him to.

Ram Shinde (Hindustan Times)

Shinde said he had deferred taking charge on the advice of party state chief Raosaheb Danve.

Shinde has been given the charge of water conservation, earlier held by rural development minister Pankaja Munde, after his elevation to the cabinet rank last week.

Upset with Fadnavis’ decision of taking away the important department without informing her, Munde had taken to Twitter to express her unhappiness. She had tweeted that she was on her way to the World Water Leaders Summit in Singapore but would not attend it since she was no longer minister of the department.

However, Fadnavis had on Twitter replied that she being a senior minister of the state government should be attending the same.

Sensing trouble coming his way, as Munde and he are from the adjacent constituencies, Shinde avoided to take charge of the department saying he will start working only after having a word with Munde.

“Though I did not get to speak to Pankajatai, I have been told by the CM to take charge of the new department,” Shinde said on Friday. Sources in the Mantralaya said it was only after the CM’s instructions, Shinde took charge.

Shinde was wary of the political repercussions as his constituency has sizable chunk of Wanjari community to which Munde belongs. The community is upset over the wings of Munde being clipped by the CM.