Mumbai: Against the backdrop of Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Raigad, the row over the post of guardian minister of the district between the NCP and Shiv Sena flared up on Saturday. The NCP and Shiv Sena both have their eyes on the post. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat demanded that the post be given to the Shiv Sena.
Speaking about Shah’s visit, Shirsat said, “Now the (issue of the) post of guardian minister of Raigad will be resolved. The Shiv Sena will get the post.” In response, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare, who was hosting Shah for lunch, said, “This is not an issue for this visit. Shah is a national leader, and we are hosting a lunch to welcome him.”
Tatkare, who represents the Raigad Lok Sabha constituency, was quoted by PTI as saying that he had also invited Shiv Sena leaders from Raigad district for the lunch, but “I don’t know why they didn’t come.”
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut said, “The chief minister has not been able to resolve who is the guardian minister of Raigad. How will he run the state?” The Shiv Sena and NCP have been at loggerheads over the post, a matter which escalated when the Mahayuti returned to office. The Shiv Sena’s Bharat Gogawale, who is EGS minister, wanted the post, but it went to women and child welfare minister Aditi Tatkare, who is the daughter of Sunil Tatkare.
In Jan this year, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis put Aditi Tatkare’s appointment on hold in the face of the Shiv Sena’s opposition to the decision.
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde made the appointments of his nominees to the guardian ministry posts of Raigad and Nasik a prestige issue. Gogawale pressed for the Raigad guardian minister‘s post, saying that the district had three MLAs from the Shiv Sena and three from the BJP, and yet the post went to the NCP.|
