Shiv Sena Ministers Demand Action Over Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Alleged Exclusion from Airport Event

The controversy over Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde allegedly not being invited to Saturday’s unveiling of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue at Navi Mumbai International Airport reached the Cabinet on Tuesday, with ministers from the Shinde-led Sena expressing their dissatisfaction and demanding action against officials responsible for the lapse.

Sources said Sena ministers raised the issue before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the Cabinet meeting and questioned how Shinde, who is also the guardian minister of Thane district, was allegedly left out of the event.

The ministers demanded action against officials from CIDCO, the Protocol Department, and airport authorities, alleging that Shinde had not been invited to the programme.

According to sources, Fadnavis said he had himself questioned the absence of both deputy chief ministers at the event. “When I left for the Navi Mumbai programme, I had asked where Shindeji had reached,” the Chief Minister is learnt to have told ministers during the meeting.

Sources said Fadnavis assured ministers that the government had taken the matter seriously and that an inquiry would be conducted.

The Chief Minister’s Office has already sought an explanation from Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) and CIDCO regarding the circumstances under which Shinde was allegedly not invited to the event, sources said.

According to sources, NMIAL informed the CMO that the programme was a private event and assured the government that such issues would be avoided in the future.

The controversy stems from Saturday’s unveiling of a 12-foot bronze bust of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Terminal 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport by Fadnavis. The event was attended by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, local legislators, and senior officials.

The absence of Shinde from the event triggered a political row, with leaders of the Shinde-led Sena alleging that the Deputy Chief Minister had not been invited despite the programme being held in Thane district, where he serves as guardian minister.