The political landscape in Maharashtra witnessed a war of words as Chhagan Bhujbal, the state's Food and Civil Supplies Minister and OBC leader, accused Rohit Pawar and Rajesh Tope of pressuring activist Manoj Jarange Patil to continue his fast after a police lathi-charge.
Responding to the allegations, Rohit Pawar, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), termed Bhujbal's remarks as indicative of the minister's frustration.
Rohit Pawar, who is also the grandnephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, addressed reporters during his Yuva Sangarsh Yatra on Saturday. He emphasized Bhujbal's need to hold a rally and express his views, attributing it to the government's reluctance to listen. Pawar noted that this situation reflected the diminished value of a minister in the state Cabinet under the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
“Bhubjal is a minister in the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Despite being a minister, he has to hold a rally and express his views. This is because the government is not ready to hear him out. As a result, he has to go before the public. This is the position of a senior leader like Bhujbal in the state Cabinet.”
The Yuva Sangarsh Yatra, covering 800 km, resumed on Friday after a temporary suspension during the peak of the Maratha quota agitation. Pawar highlighted the challenges faced by the state's youth through the yatra.
In response to Bhujbal's allegations, Pawar asserted that if the government does not value a minister's opinions, it raises concerns about the treatment of the common man. He questioned, "A minister has no value for this government… What can you then expect for the common man on the street?"
Bhujbal, speaking at an OBC rally in Ambad, Jalna, alleged that Rohit Pawar and Rajesh Tope, among others, brought back activist Manoj Jarange Patil after the police lathi-charge in Antarwali-Saraati village. Bhujbal claimed they persuaded Patil to continue his fast. “After the police lathi-charge happened, Jarange Patil had gone to his home. But Rohit Pawar and Rajesh Tope brought him back and made him continue his fast. They told him that the next day Sharad Pawar would be meeting him,” Bhujbal said.