Sandipan Bhumre, the guardian minister of Aurangabad, and Ambadas Danve, the leader of the opposition in Maharashtra's legislative council, had a heated exchange on Monday at the district collector's office over the equal distribution of funds.
Bhumre belongs to the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde whereas Danve is a Uddhav Thackeray loyalist. MLAs from Aurangabad district were also present at the district planning committee meeting when the war of words erupted between Bhumre and Danve.
A video of the incident has gone viral. The viral clip shows Danve demanding details of the taluka-wise distribution of funds and saying the post of the guardian minister is not jagir (private estate) of someone. Bhumre replied, saying, Yes, it is our jagir now. One needs to raise his voice if the minister thinks that post of the guardian minister is his property. MLAs of the ruling parties (Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP) also think the same way, besides ministers Atul Save and Abdul Sattar, Danve told reporters after attending the meeting.
He claimed funds meant for irrigation, agriculture and rural development are being utilised for other purposes while the basic work is not being given priority in Aurangabad district. I and Bhumre had worked together earlier, therefore, we observed restraint, otherwise it would have been different, he said about the incident.