Nandurbar : The tussle within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti over the distribution of District Planning Committee (DPC) funds has now come to the fore. During a political event held in Nandurbar, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) Legislative Council Member (MLC) Chandrakant Raghuvanshi broke down on stage while referring to the alleged neglect in budget allocation. The MLA’s tears in the presence of two cabinet ministers of the state government – Uday Samant and Gulabrao Patil – have exposed the internal tussle within the alliance.
Addressing a Shiv Sena workers’ guidance meeting, MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi expressed his helplessness. He bluntly stated that due to the prescribed formula, Shiv Sena MLAs are receiving very little funding, which is completely stalling development work at the grassroots level. Raghuvanshi, becoming emotional, questioned how public representatives will live up to the expectations of their workers and the public if they lack adequate financial resources. He urged both ministers to intervene at the top leadership level and establish a fair system.
The Shiv Sena has two prominent public representatives in the district—MLA Amashya Padvi and Legislative Council member Chandrakant Raghuvanshi. Raghuvanshi alleges that the current formula set by the District Planning Committee results in a negligible amount for the Shiv Sena, which is completely discriminatory. He demanded that the budget be redistributed according to power sharing and party position, so that public welfare projects in their areas are not hampered.
Taking a strong stance on the MLA’s plight, Cabinet Minister Gulabrao Patil issued a clear warning to Mahayuti allies—the BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Patil stated that any injustice to Shiv Sena workers would not be tolerated. Citing his own example, he said that as the guardian minister of Jalgaon, he allocates funds fairly to public representatives of all parties, and therefore, Shiv Sena MLAs in Nandurbar should also receive their due. It is noteworthy that the current guardian minister of Nandurbar is senior NCP leader Hasan Mushrif.
