Ousted Gujarat leader irked, Shiv Sena upset too

One of the main tribal leaders from Gujarat, Mansukhbhai Vasava, who was dropped from the council of ministers on Tuesday, said he had no idea for the reason of his ouster but admitted that he was working in a hostile environment. Mr Vasava claimed that three months back, in a letter to Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel, he had threatened to quit the post if his complaints regarding tribal welfare in the state were not addressed.

“I have no idea why I was asked to leave, will seek clarity from the party high command. As a tribal minister, I did all that was required for the benefit of tribal community and regions, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr Vasava told the media. He claimed, “I was working in a hostile condition in my own ministry.”

Mr Vasava has been replaced by another tribal face from the state, Jaswantsinh Bhabhor. Mr Vasava, who is an MP from Bharuch constituency in central Gujarat, held the portfolio of Union minister of state for tribal affairs and had come out strongly against the Gujarat government for not acting on his repeated pleas to improve the condition of tribals in the state’s eastern belt.

Meanwhile, failing to get any berth in the expansion the Shiv Sena issued a veiled threat to the BJP, saying that it will keep it in mind during the Mumbai city corporation and other local body polls across Maharashtra. “The party’s view has been that we would not go begging to BJP for any ministerial berths. If they give us berths honourably and as per our demands then fine. We had some specific demands which we asked for or else we did not want any berths from them,” Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said: “You must have noticed that our Anant Geete was present at the ceremony. I don’t want to indulge in wrangling but, at the same time, I won’t be hapless before someone.”