Chhagan Bhujbal, denied ministerial berth, lashes out at Ajit Pawar: 'Not a toy in your hands'

NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal was overlooked as a minister, a development he has sought to blame on party chief Ajit Pawar. (File Photo: PTI)

Disgruntled NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has hit out at party president and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar after he was denied a ministerial berth in the recent expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet in the state.

On Tuesday, Bhujbal claimed that CM Fadnavis had backed him as minister but he was deprived of a cabinet berth because he took on Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil.

"I am not a toy in your hands who will follow blindly everything… Chhagan Bhujbal is not that kind of man… The chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) wanted me to be in the cabinet. I also verified it and I learnt that he was insistent on my induction into the cabinet. But I was dropped. Now, I will have to find out who rejected it," he said.

Following his exclusion, Bhujbal, an OBC leader, said he was sidelined despite taking on Jarange-Patil and rallying the support of the OBC community that led to victory for the Mahayuti.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bhujbal suggested that it was Ajit Pawar who dropped his name as minister. "In every party, the chief takes a decision about this (who becomes minister). Just like Devendra Fadnavis takes the decision in the BJP, and Eknath Shinde takes the decision in the Shiv Sena. Similarly, Ajit Pawar takes the decision for our group,” said Bhujbal.

Bhujbal, who won the Yeola seat in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, said he was hurt by the manner in which he was disregarded by his party.

"Pawar and Amit Shah told me to contest in the Lok Sabha polls. I completed all preparations but they did not declare my name for over a month so I opted out. Then, before the Assembly polls, when I wanted to go to Rajya Sabha, I was told I should contest the Assembly elections. I was offered Rajya Sabha eight days ago, which I rejected. How can I accept the Rajya Sabha after being elected as an MLA? How can I resign? It would be a betrayal to my voters now," he said.

The NCP leader further said that he hasn't spoken to Ajit Pawar since the formation of the Cabinet and also junked NCP leader Praful Patel's remarks that the party was willing to send him to the Rajya Sabha.

“I want to ask them, am I a small toy in your hands? You can tell me to go to Rajya Sabha whenever you want, you will tell me to sit when you want, stand when you want, contest elections when you want," he said.

Bhujbal further claimed that he expressed his desire to be nominated as Rajya Sabha MP six months ago but his request was denied. "They told me.'We are going to send Sunita Pawar'," he said, adding that his request was rejected again when the party decided to send Makarand Patil’s brother to the Rajya Sabha.

He said that he was then asked to contest the Assembly elections. "Now they are telling me ‘We have made Makarand Patil a minister. Now, we will ask his brother to resign and we will send you to Rajya Sabha’. But, for that, I will have to resign from the Assembly. If I do this, won’t it be a betrayal of the people of my constituency?" he asked.