MUMBAI : Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has opposed the reservation to Marathas under the OBC grouping, on Sunday said he had submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as he is responsible for the allocation of portfolios.
Notably, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has not yet reacted to the announcement made by Bhujbal at a rally on Saturday that he resigned on November 16 but kept mum on the advice of the chief minister and the Deputy chief minister.
Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has said that Bhujbal’s resignation has not been accepted.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be able to clarify, he told reporters.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday dubbed Bhujbal’s disclosure about his resignation a ”hogwash” and suggested that the NCP leader and BJP were hand in glove. The Shiv Sena led by Shinde, BJP, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) are the constituents of the Mahayuti government.
Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of NCP, including Bhujbal, joined the Shinde government last July.
“A chief minister allocates ministerial portfolios and informs ministers about their responsibilities. It is always the prerogative of a chief minister whom to include in his Cabinet, and accordingly, the state governor is informed,” Bhujbal told reporters in Nashik when asked why he submitted his resignation to Shinde, who belongs to Shiv Sena.
The disclosure by Bhujbal that he had resigned as a minister has put a focus on the Maratha quota tightrope the Eknath Shinde-led government is walking amid restlessness in OBCs, whom the BJP counts as loyal voters.
Taking a swipe, Raut said Bhujbal claims he resigned from the Cabinet last year but he attended subsequent meetings of the council of ministers.
“It is said that Devendra Fadnavis is behind Bhujbal’s outbursts against the handling of the Maratha quota agitation led by (activist) Manoj Jarange. Both are hand in glove. I will resign but you will not accept it or you resign and we will not accept it,” he claimed.
Bhujbal has accused the state government of facilitating “backdoor entry” of the Maratha community into the OBC quota by pandering to the demands made by Jarange. He has sharpened his attack against the government after it issued a draft notification accepting Jarange’s demand that blood relatives of Marathas with Kunbi (OBC sub-caste) records, will be given the Kunbi certificates.
“I want to tell leaders from the opposition, government, and my party that ahead of the OBC Elgar rally held in Ambad on November 17, I resigned from the cabinet on November 16 and then went to attend that event,” the Food and Civil Supplies Minister said while addressing the rally a day before.
He also said he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the Dy CM asked him not to speak about the resignation.
Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said, “The chief minister will be able to clarify, but I can only say as of now that Bhujbal’s resignation has not been accepted by the chief minister or me.” Meanwhile, Raut sought to know who has the authority to accept Bhujbal’s resignation – Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy CM Fadnavis. It has been a precedent that those who oppose the chief minister or the government have no right to be a part of it, he claimed.
Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange rubbished Bhujbal’s allegations that fake and overwritten records were being used to get the reservation for the Maratha community. “If he (Bhujbal) wants to resign, he should do it, but should not talk against Maratha reservation,” Jarange added.
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Published: 04 Feb 2024, 11:14 PM IST