Am I a toy in your hands?: Bhujbal hits out at Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday launched a veiled attack on party president Ajit Pawar over his exclusion from the new council of ministers, claiming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in favour of his induction in the cabinet.

He said Ajit Pawar, the NCP president, makes decisionsfor the party like Fadnavis for the BJP and Eknath Shinde for the Shiv Sena.

Amid speculation over his Jahan nahi chaina, wahan nahi rehna remark a day before, Bhujbal said he would speak on Wednesday after discussing with NCP workers and people from the Yeola constituency.

The prominent OBC leader said he wasn’t disappointed about not being made a min-ister but felt humiliated by his treatment.

Speaking to reporters in Nashik, Bhujbal claimed that he was asked to contest Lok Sabha elections in May but his name was never finalised.

Weeks after winning assembly elections from Yeola seat, Bhujbal said he was recent-ly offered a Rajya Sabha seat.

“I accepted the suggestion to contest Lok Sabha elections from Nashik. When I want-ed to be in the Rajya Sabha earlier this year, I was asked to fight the assembly elec-tions. I was offered a Rajya Sabha seat eight days ago which I rejected.

“They didn’t listen to me then, now they are giving it (Rajya Sabha seat). Am I a toy in your hands?” he asked. Do you think whenever you tell me I will stand up, whenever you tell me I will sit down and contest the elections? What will the people in my constituency feel if I re-sign?” he questioned. “I have confirmed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis insisted on my inclusion in the state cabinet. The chief of each party in the Mahayuti alliance decides for his par-ty. Fadnavis for BJP, Eknath Shinde for Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar for NCP,” he said.

Fadnavis expanded his cabinet in Nagpur on Sunday and inducted 39 new members in his team -- 19 from the BJP, 11 from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 9 from Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Bhujbal was among 10 ministers who were dropped from the new council of minis-ters, which has 16 new faces. The former food and civil supplies minister had expressed his disappointment and skipped the winter session of the state legislature. He returned to his constituency Yeola in Nashik district. “I was asked to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Nashik on the insistence of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. I prepared for over a month. I re-ceived support from various sections. However, at the last moment, my name was not announced, and I had to withdraw from the contest,” he said.

The NCP leader said he had later expressed his desire for a Rajya Sabha seat, and was told that Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, and Nitin Patil were being considered.

“I accepted the party’s decision even then. I had said my experience would be useful in the Rajya Sabha, but I was told I was needed in Maharashtra,” he claimed.

“After contesting and winning the state assembly elections, I am told to move to Ra-jya Sabha. For this, Nitin Patil will be asked to resign. I was denied the opportunity when I wanted it. My constituents foughthard for me in this election. How can I ask them to accept my resignation now?” he questioned.