by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Dec. 14
The BJP high command is understood to have signalled to Shiv Sena that its demand for an additional Cabinet post and a minister of state in the Modi government is too high and disproportionate to its strength in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP leadership has also conveyed that any tinkering or re-opening the issue of power-sharing formula evolved in May 2014 only for Shiv Sena will lead to distortions within the NDA.
Additional cabinet
post in Modi Govt.
Though the BJP leadership has also made it clear that it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom to induct into the government considering the necessities of the administration. But the Shiv Sena is entitled to one Cabinet and one minister of state post as per its strength of 18 Lok Sabha MPs.
The formula envisaged one Cabinet post for every 10 Lok Sabha MPs. Anant Geete is already holding the Cabinet rank with heavy industries portfolio. Even the TDP of N Chandrababu Naidu has been given one Cabinet and one MoS post as per its strength of 16 MPs in Lok Sabha.
Earlier, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray had asked the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure the induction of two more MPs in the NDA government. The meeting that took place between Uddhav and Fadnavis on December 8 in Mumbai where Fadnavis is reported to have assured Uddhav that he would certainly apprise the party leadership of his desire.
However, Fadnavis also felt that Uddhav should raise the issue directly also either with the Prime Minister and the party president Amit Shah. He said he had worked very hard to bridge the growing gulf between the two partners. He would like the two partners to implement the agenda of the Modi government of good governance and take Maharashtra to new heights.
Fadnavis wants Uddav
to talk to modi directly
Though Prime Minister Modi was ready to induct Anil Desai of Shiv Sena into the government on November 9, but due to extreme tensions, Desai was summoned from the Delhi airport itself and he couldn't be sworn in.
It was at that very moment that the angry BJP leadership decided to make Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu to quit the party, join BJP and rewarded him with the prized portfolio of railways. Later, Prabhu called on Uddhav to soothe hurt feelings.
Uddhav wants Anandrao Adsul or Bhavna Gawli into the Modi government along with Anil Desai. While Anandrao retained his Amravati seat in Vidarbha by defeating his NCP rival Navneet Kaur Rana, Bhavna represents the Yavatmal-Washim constituency in Maharashtra. There is a possibility that Uddhav will call on the Prime Minister.
Modi's problem is that there are as many as eight Union Ministers in his government from Maharashtra though some of them may be in the Rajya Sabha from other states – be it Suresh Prabhu (Haryana), Najma Heptulla (Madhya Pradesh) Smriti Irani (Gujarat) or Prakash Javadekar (Madhya Pradesh). Nitin Gadkari, Anant Geete, Piyush Goyal and R D Danve also represent Maharashtra.
