He alleges that the party has failed to keep its promise of making him a minister.
Shiv Sangram leader and president of Shivaji Memorial Project Committee, Vinayak Mete is unhappy with BJP for overlooking his party during the recently concluded cabinet expansion drive. Mete, who was to take oath as an MLC, was not present in the House when other newly-elected Legislative Council members, took oath during the special one-day session of the Upper House. Mete nonetheless said that his party will continue to fight for its rights. He added that injustice has been meted against his party by the BJP.
He said, “On one hand, ministerial berth has been offered to Mahadev Jhankar President of Rashtriya Samaj Paksh, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana’s Sadabhau Khot on the other hand our party has been sidelined by the BJP. As a result of this our party workers are extremely upset with the BJP. ”
Mete also alleged that BJP has cheated him and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has failed to keep his promise of making him a minister. Mete was elected to the Council last month from the BJP quota. Shiv Sangram is an alliance partner of BJP.
“BJP has cheated us. CM Fadnavis did not keep his word, of inducting me in the ministry,” he said.
Diwakar Raote, Ramraje Nimbalkar, Narayan Rane, Subash Desai, Sadabhau Khot has taken oath today.
Mete, who holds minister-level rank as chairman of the Shivaji Memorial Committee, said, “Before the Lok Sabha elections two years ago, senior BJP leaders, including late Gopinath Munde, Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde made efforts to make my outfit Shiv Sangram a part of the Mahayuti, the BJP-led grand alliance.”
“I dont know why we were sidelined and why injustice was done to us and Maratha community, as Shiv Sangram represents Marathas,” Mete said.
Mete’s party had severed ties with the NCP and joined the Shiv-Sena BJP alliance prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community. In 2009 Mete had organized a big rally at Shivaji Park for pressing the demand of reservation to Maratha community.
Meanwhile Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray clarified that Sena has never blackmailed anybody for securing cabinet berth. Uddhav added that there were reports about him being unhappy with the cabinet reshuffle hence he had skipped the swearing-in ceremony.
He said, “The allotment of portfolios was in line with the earlier formula agreed to with the BJP and Sena did not ask for a Cabinet berth or indulge in any “blackmail”. The “speculation” that my party was refused a Cabinet berth by the BJP was planted by Opposition parties, which did not want the Sena to be a part of the government.”
