A Shiv Sena minister and a district president today engaged in a heated exchange over the "working style" of the former in presence of the party president Uddhav Thackeray at a meeting here.
The Sena chief had called the meeting of the party office-bearers, including shakha pramukhs (unit incharges) and ministers, at the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar in Central Mumbai.
At the meeting, the Jalgaon district president of the Sena accused the Minister of State for Agriculture Gulabrao Patil of shirking his responsibility towards the party organisation and workers.
Patil also hails from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra.
However, Thackeray intervened in the matter and directed the duo to focus on the 2019 Assembly polls.
"Uddhav ji clearly told us that the BJP is our number one enemy and there should be no infighting among ourselves," a Sena leader present at the meet said.
At the meeting, office-bearers were given the opportunity to present the status of the party in their respective districts.
"The Jalgaon district president complained about his minister Gulabrao Patil before Thackeray. He claimed the minister ignores organisational activities, does not respond to Shiv Sainiks and also does not resolve their issues from Mantralaya," the Sena leader said.
He said Patil countered the district president saying he submits reports of the work done by him to Thackeray.
"We are not answerable to you (district president) for the decisions we take and the issues we have resolved. So do not blame me. I, being a minister, always submit my report card to the party chief," the source quoted Patil as saying.
Later, Thackeray intervened and said that there should not be differences between ministers and party office-bearers.
"When BJP has set their target for the 2019 Assembly polls, it is very clear that the BJP will fight alone. In such a scenario, we should only focus on elections," the source quoted Thackeray as saying.
"Remember that the BJP is our number one enemy and this is the only time we have to go to people and strengthen our constituencies," Thackeray said.
Meanwhile, a senior office-bearer said the party is more important than any leader.
"It's Balasaheb's Sena and district presidents, shakha pramukhs (unit incharges) have been given more importance than any leader of the party. Even Uddhav ji had visited all shakhas (units) before the BMC polls," he recalled.
He said district presidents used to have the final say on the choice of candidates for Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls when Bal Thackeray was alive.
"Now the situation has changed completely. The party ministers have ignored the organisation and become more powerful than the party," he claimed.
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