Chhagan Bhujbal slams Ajit Pawar: ‘I’m not a toy in your hands’ after Cabinet snub

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, visibly upset over being denied a ministerial post, lashed out at party chief Ajit Pawar on Tuesday, accusing him of sidelining him despite Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s support for his induction into the Cabinet.

On the first day of the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly, Bhujbal, who had left Nagpur for his hometown of Nashik, voiced his frustration to reporters. He claimed that his exclusion from the Cabinet was a result of his strong stance against Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and his advocacy for the OBC community. When questioned about his next steps, Bhujbal quoted a line from a Kishore Kumar song: “Let’s see. Jahan Nahin Chaina, Waha Nahin Rehna” (Where there is no peace, I won’t stay).

On Tuesday, Bhujbal made his discontent clear, saying, “I’m not a puppet to blindly follow orders. Chhagan Bhujbal doesn’t bow down like that. The chief minister wanted me in the Cabinet, I confirmed it, and he was persistent about it. But I was ultimately dropped. Now, I need to find out who rejected my name.”

He added, “In every party, the leader makes the decisions. Just like Devendra Fadnavis does in the BJP and Eknath Shinde in the Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar calls the shots in our group.” This comment pointed to Ajit Pawar as the one responsible for his exclusion.

Bhujbal, who had won the Yeola seat in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, revealed that his supporters from across the state would meet in Nashik on Wednesday to discuss his next move.

Bhujbal emphasized that his issue wasn’t the lack of a ministerial position but the way he had been treated by his own party. “Ajit Pawar told me to contest the Lok Sabha elections, and even Union Minister Amit Shah supported this. I made all preparations, but after waiting for over a month for my name to be announced, I opted out. Then, before the Assembly elections, when I wanted to go to the Rajya Sabha, I was told to contest the Assembly polls instead. Just eight days ago, they offered me a Rajya Sabha seat, which I rejected. How can I accept that after winning as an MLA? Resigning now would be a betrayal to my voters. I would be open to going to the Rajya Sabha after a year or two, but not now.”

Bhujbal also expressed that he had not communicated with Ajit Pawar since the Maharashtra Cabinet was formed, reiterating that his exclusion was due to his opposition to Jarange-Patil.

Responding to Bhujbal’s dissatisfaction, senior NCP leader Praful Patel acknowledged Bhujbal’s desire for a Rajya Sabha seat. “We are willing to send him to the Rajya Sabha,” Patel said.

However, Bhujbal shot back at Patel’s comments, saying, “Am I a mere pawn in your hands? You can’t just dictate when I should go to Rajya Sabha, when I should stand, when I should sit, or when I should contest elections.”

Bhujbal elaborated that he had expressed his wish to join the Rajya Sabha six months ago but was rejected by the party leadership. “I was told they would send Sunetra Pawar to Rajya Sabha instead, and I had no objections. Later, they decided to send Makarand Patil’s brother, but even then, I raised the issue. They rejected my name again, saying they had committed to Makarand Patil,” Bhujbal revealed.

“They then convinced me to contest the Assembly elections, assuring me that my workers would work hard for the party’s victory in Yeola. I did so, and now, after winning, they want me to resign from the Assembly so they can send me to Rajya Sabha. How can I betray the trust of my constituency now by resigning?” Bhujbal questioned.