Ganesh Kendale
MUMBAI: In one of the last cabinet meetings before the announcement of the assembly elections, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, was present for only around 10 minutes and left immediately after tribute was paid to Ratan Tata Thursday.
Thirty-eight decisions – many of them having major financial implications – were taken in the two and a half hours that the meeting continued for after he left.Chief minister Eknath Shinde presided over the meeting, and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis was with him all the time.
Insiders said it was possible he was unhappy with the state of affairs and the high number of urgent proposals being brought before the cabinet meeting at the last minute without prior circular. Over the past few weeks, the finance department has raised objections to several proposals moved in the cabinet.
While Ajit Pawar could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts, NCP state unit chief and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare said there was no question of any friction in Mahayuti.
“I was in Raigad and don’t know what happened in the cabinet. But there is no question of any friction in the Mahayuti, and nothing should be read into anyone leaving the cabinet early if that has happened at all,” Tatkare said.
The state has already come under criticism for a slew of pre-election sops costing Rs 96,000 crore announced in the budget, including the Ladki Bahin scheme. The expenditure on the Ladki Bahin scheme on its own is slated to be Rs 46,000 crore per year.
The state is on a spree of clearing land allotments, subsidies and guarantees in the run-up to polls. The finance dept has already warned that fiscal deficit could be as high as Rs 2 lakh crore for 2024-25.
The department has warned that the fiscal deficit had crossed 3% of the GSDP, the limit set by the Maharashtra Fiscal Responsibility and Budgetary Management Act.
“This was probably first time that Ajit Pawar has left the cabinet like this. The exact reason is not known, but this is uncommon. His chair was vacant throughout the meeting,” an official said.
Over the last few weeks, fault lines have emerged between the Mahayuti partners – Shiv Sena and Ajit’s NCP.
