Friction between Mahayuti allies intensifies with guardian ministership issue, Shinde’s decisions being reversed

MUMBAI: While the recent exercise of appointing guardian ministers has exposed the rift between the BJP and Shiv Sena, the tussle within the ruling alliance has been brewing for the last two months and is expected to intensify in the coming days with regard to the sharing of statutory boards and corporations.

Within 24 hours of Devendra Fadnavis’ releasing the list of guardian ministers, Eknath Shinde forced the chief minister to stay the appointments in two districts. Shinde’s ministers Bharat Gogawale and Dada Bhuse have staked a claim to Raigad and Nashik—which were given to NCP minister Aditi Tatkare and senior BJP minister Girish Mahajan—respectively. Fadnavis is expected to take a decision on this after he returns from his Davos tour on January 24. Meanwhile, Shinde abruptly left for his native place, Dare, leading to speculation that he was sulking yet again.

Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale, in a press conference on Monday, admitted that Shinde and other Shiv Sainiks were unhappy about the guardian minister appointments. “When Shinde was CM, he used to take all the constituents of the Mahayuti along,” he said. “We hope the same policy is adopted by Fadnavis.”

According to Mahayuti insiders, the Sena’s public expression of unhappiness stems from the simmering discontent with events in the past two months. Immediately after taking over as CM, Fadnavis stayed certain decisions taken by the Shinde administration. In December, he changed then education minister Deepak Kesarkar’s decision to get a state-appointed agency to supply uniforms to students in government schools, and restored the powers of procuring uniforms to the school management committees.

In the last week of December, Fadnavis stayed Shinde’s decision to lease 1,310 buses from three private agencies for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. He also directed the public health department to make changes in its proposal to procure over 900 ambulances, which was taken by then health minister Tanaji Sawant of the Shiv Sena.

“The reversal of these decisions has upset Shinde, as it was done without consulting him,” said a Shiv Sena leader. “The cancellation has sent out a wrong message, creating doubts about the decisions taken by us. The dispute over the guardian ministers of two districts has exposed the fissures further but the resentment has been brewing since the government was formed.”

Indeed, the BJP and Shiv Sena were at loggerheads over power-sharing after the Mahayuti’s landslide victory in the assembly polls. Even though the results were announced on November 23, the oath-taking ceremony was delayed till December 5, as Shinde kept pushing for the key portfolios, including home. There was uncertainty about him joining the government as deputy chief minister until three hours prior to the swearing-in ceremony at which PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah were present. This has not gone down well with the BJP in general and Fadnavis in particular.

While the acrimony between the BJP and Shiv Sena was on, things were not hunky-dory between the BJP and the NCP either. “The rift between the BJP and Shiv Sena widened more because Shinde’s party is vocal,” said an NCP leader. “Fadnavis tweaked a couple of decisions taken by NCP ministers but there were no complaints voiced by the NCP leadership since Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar have a better mutual understanding.”

Amid the fractious situation in the Mahayuti, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday kicked up a new controversy by claiming that the BJP was irked with Shinde’s behaviour and hence encouraging a parallel leadership in the Shiv Sena with industries minister Uday Samant.

“They finished Uddhavji (Thackeray) and brought (Eknath) Shindeji to the forefront, and are now finishing Shinde ji,” said Wadettiwar. “Efforts are on to bring a new ‘uday’ (rising) to the forefront. One cannot deny the possibility of a new uday of Leader Number 3 soon.”

Raut echoed the same sentiments by declaring that the BJP was fed up with Shinde’s daily tantrums and sulks, and had plans to replace him with Samant. “The BJP will split the Shinde faction too,” he claimed. “When Shinde was sulking about the CM’s post, there was a plan to replace him with the ‘uday’ (rise) of Uday Samant. After finding out about the BJP’s plan, Shinde decided to play cautiously, and accepted the post of deputy CM.”

Samant, who is considered to be on very good terms with CM Fadnavis, issued a clarification, terming the remarks as nothing but political immaturity. “The rebellion by Eknath Shinde saheb got me the industries minister post twice,” he said. “I cannot forget that his efforts shaped my career. Our relationship is beyond politics, and whoever tries to create ill-will between us will not succeed.”

Samant, a legislator and junior minister in the undivided NCP, hopped across to the Shiv Sena before the 2014 elections and was made a minister in the MVA government. During Shinde’s rebellion, he was initially seen at Matoshree with Thackeray but then surprised everyone by joining the Shinde camp.

Asked about this retreat to Dare, Shinde said that the media always jumped to the conclusion that he was sulking if he visited his village. “I have come to Dare to push for the development of New Mahabaleshwar,” he said. “There has been talk about me being unhappy about seat-sharing before the election and power-sharing after it, but we resolved the issues amicably. This time too, the guardian ministership issue will be resolved.” Shinde said there was nothing wrong with Bharat Gogawale expressing a desire to be guardian minister of Raigad, as he had been working in the district for long.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule insisted there were no differences between the BJP and Sena. “If any, they will be resolved amicably through discussion,” he said. “The Sena has been given guardian ministerships in Satara, Yavatmal and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar despite us having ministers in these districts. The decision to give Raigad to the NCP was because the party had no other district in Konkan right from Thane. The guardian ministership of Nashik given to our Girish Mahajan was a conscious decision against the backdrop of the Sinhastha religious mela in Nashik in 2027.”

(With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha)