| While Chandurkar, emphatically denied any participation in the 'morcha' by his supporters, he added, "Unfortunately, despite having won from the Kherwadi constituency in Mumbai city, and repeatedly facing up to the Shiv Sena, veteran MLAs like me who have 15 years of experience in the state legislature have been given the short shrift. This is notwithstanding the fact that I was awarded the best legislator award on earlier occasions." |
| Chandurkar blames senior Congress leaders from New Delhi, who he says, "Act as middlemen whose only yardstick for proposing names of MLAs for cabinet postings is sycophancy. These agents do not allow the files of genuine candidates to even reach our party high command. I do not want a cabinet berth now, but I am keen to expose the injustice that is being meted out to party workers and MLAs like me." |
| He further added that parliamentarian Sunil Dutt, had not only assured him of a cabinet berth this time but also five years back when the Congress-NCP combine formed the government in the state. |
| "Just before he left on a foreign trip, Dutt told me that my name had been confirmed for a cabinet posting considering my seniority and consecutive wins from the Kherwadi constituency where the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray resides. He said the same thing even five years back. On both the occasions, my name did not figure." |
| Chandurkar is quick to absolve chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh of any blame for his omission. |
| "This time a committee of senior central leaders decided the names of Congress MLAs from Maharashtra who would find representation in the state cabinet. It is apparent that while a relative newcomer such as Suresh Shetty was accomodated by Margaret Alva, a three time winning 'dalit' MLA from Kherwadi, which is the second most complex slum pocket after Dharavi in Mumbai, is ignored. I only want to expose this contradiction within the Congress party." |
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