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Sena-BJP rift widens as Uddhav Thackeray calls Fadnavis government useless
The Sena chief also reiterated the demand for a separate minister for home in the state.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray termed the Devendra Fadnavis government “useless” (nikamma) during his visit to Ahmednagar on Wednesday.
“If the chief minister is questioning the authority of his cabinet colleagues, who are exercising their powers, then, this government is nikamma (useless),” said Thackeray. The Sena president was obliquely referring to the recent spat between Maharashtra industries minister Subhash Desai and state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Desai, a senior Sena leader, during his visit to Ratnagiri district last week had announced that the government notification regarding land acquisition for a project in Nanar, had been cancelled. Within minutes, Fadnavis contradicted Desai and questioned his powers.
“What Desai said was his personal opinion. The notification (to acquire land) can be cancelled only by a high-powered committee. The government has not yet cancelled the notification,” Fadnavis had said.
Thackeray’s remarks in Ahmednagar is sign of the already widened rift between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Thackeray was in Ahmednagar to meet families of the two Sena leaders who were murdered in the city earlier this month. After the meeting, Thackeray addressed a press conference in which he targeted the government. On April 6, two Shiv Sena leaders, including the deputy leader of the party’s Ahmednagar unit, were shot dead in Kedgaon leading to tension in the district.
Following the incident, local police officials arrested eight persons including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Sangram Jagtap and Congress corporator Vishal Kotkar in connection with the murders.
The Sena chief also reiterated the demand for a separate minister for home in the state.
“The chief minister is busy with development of the state. While doing this, he may not have time to pay attention to the home ministry and the law and order situation in the state. Therefore, we once again demand a separate minister for home in Maharashtra.”
The home portfolio is currently with Fadnavis and he has two deputies – Deepak Kesarkar, who is a Shiv Sena leader and Ranjit Patil, a BJP member.
Nanar project
The Nanar project is a joint venture between a consortium of three Indian oil companies — IOC, BPCL and HPCL — and oil giant Saudi Aramco. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Aramco and the Indian consortium on April 13. The mega project is expected to generate one lakh jobs and bring in investment of up to ₹1 lakh crore.
