Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Nov 19: Tensions within the ruling MahaYuti alliance escalated on Tuesday after ministers from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena staged a dramatic boycott of the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The protest was triggered by the BJP’s induction of a prominent Sena leader from Dombivali, a move the Shinde faction has dubbed yet another chapter of “Operation Lotus.”
The BJP’s state unit chief Ravindra Chavan inducted the Dombivali leader into the party fold, following similar defections engineered in Palghar, Thane, and other regions. The Shinde camp sees this as a deliberate attempt to weaken its base ahead of the crucial Maharashtra civic polls.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was the only representative from his party present at the cabinet meeting, signalling a widening rift within the alliance.
Following the boycott, CM Fadnavis convened a separate meeting with Sena ministers to address their grievances. He is learnt to have told them that the Sena had initiated the poaching game by inducting a BJP leader from Ulhasnagar. “Now the BJP is only reacting. If Sena is worried about its leaders being poached, they must first put an end to such practices themselves.
Mutual respect is essential,” Fadnavis reportedly said.
A Sena minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that BJP’s actions were targeting “tall local leaders,” causing resentment within the Sena ranks. “We are being treated step-motherly. Funds are not released for our departments. Key decisions are being taken without consulting us. Even the CMO is encroaching on our jurisdiction. Though we are equal partners, we struggle endlessly for approvals,” the minister alleged.
He added that BJP’s selective approach to alliances further revealed its intentions. “CM Fadnavis has already hinted that an alliance with Sena is required only for the BMC polls. They need us in Mumbai, so they sideline us elsewhere where they can contest independently.”
Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray took a swipe at the situation, saying, “Shinde is getting a taste of his own medicine. The cracks between BJP and Sena are now for all to see.”