Abdul Sattar, a Shiv Sena junior Minister, on Saturday reportedly offered to quit from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, upset at being relegated to a Minister of State in the recent Cabinet expansion.
Mr Sattar was among the 36 ministers of the three parties - Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - who took oath to office on December 30, 2019.
The first cracks in the ruling coalition surfaced following a prolonged delay in the allocation of portfolios to the new Ministers.
Mr. Sattar’s reported resignation, which was later denied by senior Sena leaders, was not confirmed either by the Governor’s Office or the Chief Minister’s Office until the time of going to press. Sources said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had deputed a team of leaders to negotiate with him.
Abdul Sattar Abdul Nabi, a three-time MLA from Sillod, was a Cabinet Minister in the Congress government in 2014. Mr Sattar was appointed a Cabinet Minister of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development after he won a second term in the legislative assembly elections on a Congress ticket in 2014. However, he resigned from the Congress, claiming that he did not get any support during the local elections.
Two years later, he resigned from the Assembly in support of the Maratha quota demand, which would guarantee government jobs and education to be reserved for Marathas. Mr Sattar He later attempted to join the BJP, but was denied ticket and joined the Shiv Sena in September 2019.
Meanwhile, Sena leaders said the rumours of Mr Sattar’s resignations were baseless. Sena leader Arjun Khotkar said there was no question of Mr Sattar tendering his resignation.
“These rumours are baseless. Sattar Sahab will meet CM Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow. This is the party’s internal matter and I am now going to meet him and talk to him,” said Mr Khotkar.
Senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also denied a rift in the MVA. “There are no differences in our Cabinet. If some minister resigns then normally resignation is sent to CM or Raj Bhawan. But both have no information about it yet,” Mr Raut told reporters.
Mr Sattar’s son Sameer told the media he was not aware of the resignation and requested everyone to wait and watch for a statement from the father himself.
The BJP claimed it was the beginning of the end for the MVA. “They have taken a full month to expand the Cabinet and now without any portfolio allocation, one minister has already resigned. This is the beginning of the fall of this government,” said former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
The discontent among the MVA is owing to delay in the distribution of portfolios, BJP Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Council Pravin Darekar said. “This government was formed days ago but it has still not sorted out the internal differences. Now the news of a MoS resigning only shows all is not well. This government will not survive long,” he said.
