Mumbai: On Tuesday, the state cabinet meeting scheduled for 4:30pm was unexpectedly postponed, with the official reason cited as the indisposition of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. While it is acknowledged that he may have been unwell, political insiders suggest that the recent posturing by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the ongoing Dhangar agitation are being seen as key factors behind the postponement.
Even though the cabinet meeting is always considered as the most important engagement for the ministers, Dy CM Ajit Pawar had his schedule fixed for his hometown Baramati. A series of programmes were lined up well in advance confirming his absence for the cabinet meeting, say officials from Mantralaya.
The cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday, where over 30 key decisions were made, was delayed by an hour. According to highly placed sources, the delay was due to Ajit Pawar's reluctance to attend. It was only after frantic calls were made to his official residence at Malabar Hill that he was persuaded to participate, sources revealed to FPJ.
The reason behind Ajit Pawar's posturing is said to be the introduction of proposals that would impose a significant financial burden, often presented without consulting the finance department. Additionally, some of the cabinet members, whose proposals were disapproved by the Pawar-led finance department were seen assailing the department with harsh words.
This might have displeased the Dy CM a lot, who could not conceal his exasperation during the recent cabinet meetings as well, sources said. “Should I go for selling the land in Maharashtra,” he reportedly said in one of the recent meetings. Even the officials from the finance department have been under tremendous stress these days for the pressure tactics by ministers and MLAs from the ruling parties, they say.
Another major reason given for the postponement of the meeting was the protest call given by the activists from the Dhangar community. A large number of activists called to urge the government to approve inclusion of the Dhangar community into the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The atmosphere became tense after a committee headed by Sudhakar Shinde (IRS) submitted its reports after studying the benefits of ST reservation given to Dhangar community.
After learning that the cabinet meeting was cancelled, members of the community jumped onto nets fixed in the seven-story Mantralaya concourse. A few days back similar agitation was undertaken led by deputy speaker of the state assembly Narhari Zirwal, who belongs to Ajit Pawar led NCP. Now, the state cabinet is expected to meet on Thursday.
