Pune: Supporters of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Chhagan Bhujbal staged protests in Pune on Tuesday over his exclusion from the new Maharashtra cabinet, saying this amounted to an insult of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
An agitation was also held outside the bungalow of Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in his hometown Baramati in Pune district.
Former ministers Bhujbal (77) and Dilip Walse Patil of the NCP and Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit of the BJP were among the prominent Mahayuti leaders who didn’t make it to the state cabinet which was expanded on Sunday in Nagpur with the induction of 39 members.
“Despite being the senior-most leader in the NCP, Bhujbal was denied a cabinet berth which is an insult to the OBCs. If you had decided to allot cabinet posts to senior leaders, then why did the same parameter not apply to Bhujbal?” asked an angry supporter who participated in a demonstration outside the Pune district collectorate.
NCP workers wore black clothes and slammed Ajit Pawar.
A protester demanded Ajit Pawar make an announcement assigning the deputy chief minister’s post to Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader, after 2.5 years.
Another protester said only Bhujbal stood for Other Backward Classes when activist Manoj Jarange launched hunger strikes demanding OBC status for the Maratha community for quota benefits in jobs and education.
Earlier in the day, Bhujbal launched a veiled attack on Ajit Pawar, claiming Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in favour of his induction in the cabinet, but he was eventually ignored.
The senior OBC leader had said he was not hankering for a ministerial post, but felt humiliated by the treatment meted out to him by NCP leadership.
Speaking to reporters in Nashik, his home district in north Maharashtra, Bhujbal openly criticised Ajit Pawar and other NCP leaders, including Praful Patel, for “sidelining” senior members and taking decisions without consultation.
The former minister accused Ajit Pawar, who joined the previous Mahayuti government in July 2023 after disassociating himself from his uncle Sharad Pawar, of favouring a select group of leaders and ignoring senior members like him.
Meanwhile, Deepak Mankar, Pune city president of the NCP, warned Bhujbal supporters against criticising Ajit Pawar.
“No OBC leader in the state has got as much opportunities as Bhujbal saheb. Today, a protest was held against Ajit dada who made common workers big. You people hit his banners with chappals. You should be ashamed. If you continue to do the same, a befitting reply will be given by the NCP,” warned Mankar.
He said Bhujbal is not the only leader of OBCs and pointed out that four legislators from the community have become ministers from the NCP quota.
“In Mahayuti, a total 15 OBC leaders have got ministerial posts,” Mankar noted.
Two months ago, Bhujbal’s son, Pankaj, was made an MLC by Ajit Pawar, he pointed out.
