Dharmendra Jore: The rumbles and crumbles within

Drama suspense action and emotion The state BJP has turned out to be an entertainer in the ongoing budget session Politics within and remarkable reflections of strained relations between senior leaders were seen at work more than the Opposition which attempted a series of attacks on the governmentThe BJP has some leaders distraught because of unfulfilled ambitions Some havent returned to the Cabinet after being asked to quit Many rue that they didnt get lucrative departments A CM aspirant is unsettled as she feels that Fadnavis never misses a chance to cut her to size Another CM aspirant is angry because he sees a conspiracy to defame himThe Khadse canonAs usual former revenue minister Eknath Khadse led the charge But this time he was sharper and menacing He alleged a rat control scam so effectively that it made headlines Khadses presentation reminded of his stint in the Opposition when he had made all sorts of allegations produced papers and compact discs as proofs In this session this was his second attack on the government Earlier he had slammed poor healthcare and challenged the government to shut hospitals if they couldnt be given basic infrastructureOutside the House when former MNS legislator and now BJP MLAspokesperson Ram Kadam who said how Khadse had been wrong in interpreting an RTI document that was part of the allegations the veteran told Kadam to behave I dont speak without proof And remember that Im still in BJP Khadse saidKhadse hit all his targets mdash the CM PWD minister Chandrakant Patil who has taken over Khadses number 2 position in the Cabinet and his local competitor and medical education minister Girish Mahajan Traction Khadse received did more harm to the BJP government than the Oppositions collective effortsLosing favourWhile Khadse has been explosive other dissidents are covert and sulking Chandrakant Patil appears to be the latest to have developed differences with the CM over an unsavoury incident in the Upper House after which Patil had accused party rivals of instigating teachers MLC Kapil Patil to chide him in the House The MLC alleged that the minister pounced on him and threatened him of dire consequences Several BJP and other party MLCs were seen discussing how the minister had blamed the incident on a conspiracy hatched by his own party leadersChadrakant Patil whose claim to fame has been his good rapport with party president Amit Shah was left redfaced when Khadses allegations hit his PWD Also Patil is fast losing his role as a troubleshooter to CMs blueeyed boy Girish Mahajan who negotiated successfully with leaders of farmers long march and is now a bridge between the government and social activist Anna Hazare who is fasting in protest in New DelhiA cold war withinMeanwhile Women and Child Welfare minister Pankaja Munde is fuming because Fadnavis overruled her decision to enforce MESMA to control Anganwadi workers agitationShe took to social media to vent saying she was missing her father late Gopinath Munde While she said her post had been put up much before the CM revoked MESMA sources said the decision was finalised a day beforeTwo years ago she had protested when she was divested of a portfolio The cold war hasnt ceased since thenSources said the government could have saved further embarrassment in the SC and in the legislature if HCs decision of allowing city teachers to have salary accounts in banks other than Mumbai Bank was accepted However the school education department went to the SC despite a negative opinion Kapil Patil had been telling media that the CMO did not want to challenge the HC orderIn any party what happens between the sparring heads leads to similar differences between their respective followers This phenomenon is more prominent in a ruling party Under attack from the Opposition in the last two years state BJP hasnt made any effective efforts to counter the Congress and NCP or even the Shiv Sena Insiders say state BJP will have to shift gears shed lethargy and get going before its too late It seems the top leadership has realised the need and is all set to celebrate its biggest foundation day on April 6 in Mumbai expected to be attended by 3 lakh workers across MaharashtraMeanwhile the state unit has been given a longtime RSS pracharak Vinay Puranik as general secretary organisation the post that was vacant since 2015 With a vast experience in the western region he is expected to work against many oddsDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates