Baramati, Nov 10 (IANS) The NCP’s Maharashtra unit President and MP, Sunil Tatkare, on Tuesday reiterated his party’s claim over the Finance Portfolio which is currently held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after the untimely death of Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash at Baramati on January 28 this year.
Speaking to reporters after visiting Ajit Pawar’s memorial to pay tribute at Baramati, Tatkare said, “We must get the Finance Portfolio. Because late Dada (Ajit Pawar) presented record-breaking budgets to this state. It was because of Dada that I got the opportunity to present the budget back in 2010. At that time, I presented the 50th budget.”
Tatkare’s statement comes days after the NCP core committee meeting, chaired by party President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, held on October 25, decided to request Chief Minister Fadnavis to give back the finance department to the party. Thereafter, NCP leaders met CM Fadnavis on the same day and made their demand.
After the meeting with CM Fadnavis, senior NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters that the Finance portfolio originally belonged to the NCP’s quota in the Mahayuti alliance. Following the demise of Ajit Pawar, CM Fadnavis temporarily took charge of the department.
“A NCP delegation met the Chief Minister to demand that the Finance Ministry be returned to the NCP. The delegation emphasised that the Chief Minister responded positively and expressed hope that the portfolio reallocation would take place before the Winter Session. The delegation emphasised that the NCP was strictly asking for the Finance Portfolio and was not interested in swapping or taking any other department,” informed Minister Bhujbal.
Subsequently, a group of NCP leaders including party Working President Praful Patel, Tatkare, ministers Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif and former ministers Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on November 1 and pleaded for the return of the finance department to the NCP.
With the state’s Winter Session scheduled for next month, it will be crucial to see whether the Finance portfolio is handed back to the NCP before then.
–IANS
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