Transport minister Diwakar Raote, industries minister Subhash Desai and other Shiv Sena ministers chose not to attend the Cabinet meeting and left the Cabinet within minutes of it starting.
Subhash Desai said they boycotted the meet and that they would not attend the cabinet meet till a complete farm loan waiver is granted.
This is not the first time that Shiv Sena members have walked away from any meeting, however, this boycott regarding the farmers’s issues is likely to be taken as an excuse to part ways with the BJP. As a complete farm loan waiver is unlikely as it would cost upwards of a Rs 1 lakh crore.
According to the Shiv Sena members, when they raised the issue of farm loan waiver, CM refused to pay any attention , hence the members stood up and left the cabinet, boycotting the meeting. However, a close member of the CM reported that, when Sena members raised the issue of farm loan CM said he would discuss about the matter after the meeting, but the Sena members were enraged and left the meeting.
Maharashtra’s FM Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters that Sena did not boycott the meeting. “I came late (to the cabinet meeting) and was told that the Sena ministers had sought CM’s nod to leave the meeting and they were allowed to do so,”claimed Mungantiwar.