MINISTERS UNHAPPY WITH ‘INTERFERENCE’ OF NCP’S AJIT PAWAR

MUMBAI: Ever since he took over as deputy chief minister, NCP leader Ajit Pawar has been holding meetings of departments. The problem: He is not a minister of most of these departments.

And the ministers of different parties who head these departments are unhappy.

During this week, Pawar held meetings of at least four departments a day before or after. Uddhav Thackeray, as chief minister, reviewed their functioning.

Pawar held meetings of social justice, school education, housing and home departments, among others, this week. Incidentally, chief minister Thackeray, too, held review meetings of these departments separately.

“Ajit Pawar had announced last week that the government was considering making Marathi compulsory in English medium schools.

School education minister and Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad was not aware of any such move.

Gaikwad had to attend the meetings of her departments called by Pawar and the CM. The state Congress leadership is unhappy over Pawar not following the protocol,” said a Congress minister.

Pawar was not available for comment.

His office said the deputy chief minister also hold finance departments and has been holding reviews to tap the sources of revenue generation.

NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik said that multiple meetings can expediting the decision-making process.

According to a Sena leader, no minister (from Congress or Sena) has so far raised any objection to the parallel meetings called by Pawar because it is the beginning of the threeparty government.