The internal discord within the Mahayuti alliance has surfaced once again. NCP's Amol Mitkari has complained that State Revenue Minister and Guardian Minister of Akola, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, is unresponsive and not taking calls. Mitkari also mentioned that none of Vikhe Patil's OSDs or personal assistants answered the phone. Additionally, Mitkari criticised Vikhe Patil for being an "online Guardian Minister," pointing out that he has not visited Akola in the past six months.
During a district planning committee meeting, Vikhe Patil was present online. Mitkari had attempted to contact Vikhe Patil to discuss district issues and flood situations, but despite numerous attempts, he couldn't reach the minister.
Amol Mitkari reported similar experiences with ministers Girish Mahajan, Ravindra Chavan, and Suresh Khade. Speaking to a Marathi News Channel, Mitkari said he plans to file a complaint against Vikhe Patil with the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers. He also demanded that BJP MLA Randhir Savarkar be appointed as the Guardian Minister of Akola.
Amol Mitkari said, "Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is the Guardian Minister of Akola district and the State Revenue Minister. In the past six months, despite various incidents in Akola district, Vikhe Patil has not been present. Even during the last district planning meeting, he attended via video conference. For the past eight days, there have been critical issues concerning farmers in Akola. The district has received significant rainfall, and many areas have not been surveyed. Police recruitment issues persist, and protests were held at the District Collector's office. Who are we supposed to discuss district issues with? Considering the flood situation and concerns about soybean and cotton, I repeatedly called the Guardian Minister and his OSDs, but to no avail."
He added, "We used to criticise Uddhav Thackeray as the 'online Chief Minister.' Now, with our own Guardian Minister being 'online,' how can we continue to criticise Uddhav Thackeray?"