Mumbai: Senior CPN leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who was angry after not getting a ministerial post in the Mahayuti government, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday. While the meeting sent tongues wagging in political circles, Bhujbal claimed that he had met the Chief Minister to discuss the issues of Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities and the current political and social situation in the state.
Bhujbal, accompanied by his nephew Sameer Bhujbal, had a 30-minute meeting with Fadnavis at the ‘Sagar’ bungalow, the chief minister’s residence. The meeting was held against the backdrop of an OBC leader planning to join the BJP after being dropped from the cabinet.
Speaking after the meeting, Bhujbal said, “I have told Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis everything that happened after December 15. He has assured to address the grievances within 8 to 10 days.”
“Fadnavis told me that Other Backward Classes played an important role in the Mahayuti’s landslide victory in the (recent) assembly elections and promised not to harm the interests of the OBC community,” Bhujbal said.
After being boycotted by the Council of Ministers, Bhujbal expressed his displeasure by saying ‘jaha nahi chaina, vahan nahi rahna’ (there is no point in living where there is no comfort). However, Bhujbal refused to comment on whether he plans to quit the NCP and join the BJP. “I have said everything I wanted to say to the Chief Minister. I will not say anything more about this,’ he said.
When asked about the meeting in Pune, Ajit Pawar said it was an internal matter of his party and they would resolve it in their own way.
A prominent OBC leader and MLA from Yewla in Nashik district, Bhujbal was notably absent from the winter session of the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, which concluded in Nagpur on Saturday. He left for Nashik on the first day of the session, a day after 39 MLAs of the Mahayuti took oath as ministers. His absence has sparked intense speculation about his future in the party and the coalition.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he wanted Bhujbal to play a role for his party at the national level. “Ajitdada told me that the NCP was a national party and wanted to take back that status. That is why there is a need for a tall leader like Bhujbal in national politics, he said. But Bhujbal has other ideas that have led to the current situation. But Bhujbal is important to us and we will resolve the issue,” he said.