'We should have been given the post of Cabinet Minister': Shinde faction MP sparks row
The swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union council of ministers was held in the grand forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.
Modi Cabinet 3.0: Shrirang Barne, Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction MP, voiced disappointment over the party's exclusion from the newly formed Narendra Modi-led government's Cabinet, alleging partiality. This comes just a day after the new Modi cabinet took the oath in the grand forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Notably, the NCP, led by Ajit Pawar and part of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, has also insisted on a Cabinet berth and rejected the offer of a Minister of State position.
'We were expecting that Shiv Sena would get a Cabinet ministry'
Barne, who secured victory for the third consecutive time in the Maval constituency by defeating Sanjog Waghere Patil of Shiv Sena (UBT), highlighted that despite Shiv Sena's success in winning seven seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the party was only offered a Minister of State (MOS) position in the Modi 3.0 government.
Barne pointed out that leaders like HD Kumaraswamy and Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose parties won two and one seats respectively, were appointed as Union cabinet ministers. He also emphasised that Udayanraje Bhosale, the BJP MP from Satara, was deserving of a cabinet position.
"We were expecting that Shiv Sena would get a Cabinet ministry, but even parties that won only one seat received Cabinet berths. For example, HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S), whose two MPs got elected, secured two berths, and Jitan Ram Manjhi, who won one seat from Bihar, was also given a Cabinet berth," Barne told reporters.
Prataprao Jadhav of Shinde Sena was the sole representation in the new Modi government who took oath as a Minister of State with independent charge on Sunday.
Barne added that Shiv Sena had won seven seats in Maharashtra of the 15 contested, whereas BJP bagged nine of 28. "We were expecting at least one Cabinet and one MOS berth for Shiv Sena which is the oldest ally of BJP," he said.
Shrirang Barne alleges partiality in distribution of Cabinet berths
Accusing bias in the allocation of Cabinet positions, Barne asserted that after JD(U) and TDP, Shiv Sena is the third-largest ally of the BJP.
"Chirag Paswan, whose party won five seats, was also given a Cabinet berth. But Shiv Sena got only one MOS berth. I personally feel that there is partiality against Shiv Sena. Considering that we will face assembly elections together in the next three months, it is expected that Sena should get fair treatment," he added.
He recalled that Eknath Shinde's "bold step" in the state led to the transition of power in Maharashtra. "Considering all these factors, we expect a justified stance from BJP," Barne added.
Shinde led a split from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and joined the BJP-led government in June 2022, bringing along a significant number of MLAs loyal to him. Following this, he was sworn in as the chief minister.
Six MPs from Maharashtra in Modi 3.0 govt
Six MPs from Maharashtra joined the Modi 3.0 coalition government on Sunday, with the BJP securing four berths and allies Shiv Sena and RPI (A) getting one each.
In the new government, BJP MPs Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal retained their positions as cabinet ministers. Raksha Khadse, the BJP's sole woman MP from Maharashtra, and first-time MP Murlidhar Mohol were sworn in as Ministers of State.
Among the BJP's allies, RPI (A) chief Ramdas Athawale kept his position as an MoS with independent charge, while Prataprao Jadhav was brought in as an MoS with independent charge.
The NCP, led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, declined the MoS offer, insisting on a Cabinet berth for Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel, citing his experience.
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