Maharashtra: What is stopping Cabinet expansion, asks Ajit Pawar

Army personnel rescue flood-affected people in Vidarbha last week. TWITTER/SPOKESPERSONMOD

Opposition leader Ajit Pawar has questioned the Maharashtra government for not expanding the Cabinet even after being in a majority. He demanded an immediate session of the state legislature to help the rain-hit people and announce a wet drought in Vidarbha and Marathwada where the monsoon fury has devastated kharif sowing and drastically minimised yield projections.

Pawar said it seems only Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis know about the reasons behind the delay in expanding the team of ministers. "They may think that the two people are enough to run the government. I don't know whether there is something else to do with it," he said, adding that the duo seemed to have nothing in their hands because their actions and inactions were prompted by the people in Delhi.

Ajit Pawar, opposition leader

He said a crisis like floods and management of rain-hit farmers' sentiments by compensating them with monetary grants and materials was the need of the hour. "But there are no guardian ministers. What is stopping them from expanding the Cabinet despite being in a majority?"

Pawar criticised the stalling of the decisions that were taken by the previous governments. "This has never happened in Maharashtra. The works that were approved last year in the legislature have also been stalled. The people who shifted to the other side were in the government then. The decisions were taken by consensus," he added.

Denying any possibility of a split in his party, Pawar said, "The people who claim to have caused an earthquake to come in power should now run the government properly. Is Eknath Shinde not satisfied with the numbers that needed him to be in power? What more does he want? They should start resolving the crisis that has affected the people."