Ramtek Ind MLA joins rebel Sena group, says CM ignored his plaints

Nagpur: Independent MLA from Ramtek, Ashish Jaiswal, a former Shiv Sainik, joined the Eknath Shinde-led group in Assam on Thursday morning. Jaiswal had successfully contested on an independent ticket after his constituency went to alliance partner BJP’s kitty. Speaking to TOI from Guwahati, Jaiswal said CM Uddhav Thackeray did not act on ‘serious issues’ raised by him.
“The last thing I discussed with the CM was how some minister is seeking kickbacks. They wanted money in lieu of fund allocation for projects that were desparately needed for development. But the CM did not discuss the issue further with me,” said Jaiswal. This discussion between the two happened a few days before the Rajya Sabha polls.
A few weeks before that, Jaiswal had raised the issue of fund allocation being done without keeping local public representatives in the loop. TOI had reported how Jaiswal was being vocal with his unhappiness over functioning of the government.
The other two issues which swayed Jaiswal to join Shinde’s group were ‘Hindutva’ and ‘no access to CM’.
“Let’s face the facts. This (Maha Vikas Aghadi) was an unnatural alliance. The ideologies were different and none of the MLAs wanted that to happen. But they went ahead anyway for some other reasons,” said Jaiswal.
Even though he had contested the 2019 polls on an independent ticket, it was an open secret that everything had transpired with blessings from the party high command. Immediately after results were declared, Jaiswal swore allegiance to the Shiv Sena.
In December 2019, when CM Thackeray came to Nagpur for the winter assembly session, Jaiswal was seen in close proximity with him at some public events.
As the months went by, direct access to CM became difficult even for Jaiswal. “Forget me, nobody had access to the CM. We are public representatives and need the support of the government to get work done,” said Jaiswal.
Regardless, says Jaiswal, it was not an easy decision to make when the ongoing political crisis erupted. “I had long deliberations with some people in my constituency. Ultimately I am answerable to those who elected me and the work that they have entrusted to me. So finally I decided to back Shinde-led MLAs and we hope that the party high command listens to what everyone is saying,” said Jaiswal.