As the Uddhav Thackeray-led ministry’s expansion ceremony was not attended by the BJP yesterday, the Shiv Sena today slammed its former ally for constantly hitting out at the fledgling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance government “just for the sake of opposing”.

In the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’  Sena said now that the state has a “full government”, the opposition should show magnanimity by allowing the Thackeray-led dispensation to function.

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By unnecessarily targeting the Thackeray government from day one, former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the opposition BJP have made a “mockery of themselves” in the eyes of the people, it said in sarcastic remarks.

“Now after a month, the state has a full government of 43 ministers and Fadnavis should not try to bring bad omen. Fadnavis and his party should not try oppose the government just for the sake of opposing,” the Sena said in the ‘Saamana’ editorial.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was on Thursday sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra as Uddhav Thackeray expanded his cabinet with 35 more ministers. Ajit Pawar has bounced back as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a record fourth time. – the first being in November 2010, then October 2012, and later in November 2019 for barely 80 hours with Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister. Youth icon and Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya also took oath as a minister in the Maharashtra Government.

Monday’s expansion, which raised the strength of the state ministry to 43, came over a month after the Thackeray- led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power.

Monday’s expansion, which raised the strength of the state ministry to 43, came over a month after the Thackeray- led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power.

The Marathi daily said the council of ministers has the capability of expediting development of the state.

It is unfortunate that Fadnavis decided to boycott the swearing-in of the council of ministers. Even in the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur, the opposition created pandemonium and staged walkouts, it said.

“Now, the state has a full government. The opposition should show the magnanimity of allowing the government to function,” the Thackeray-led party said.

The BJP earlier this month boycotted the MVA government’s tea party on the eve of the winter session in Nagpur, and on Monday skipped the ministry expansion ceremony.

The Shiv Sena last month joined hands with the Congress and NCP, its traditional adversaries, after its alliance with the BJP collapsed over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

On November 28, six minsters, two each of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena took oath along with Thackeray.

The Sena said in the last one month, the six-member ministry successfully handled the winter session of the state legislature and took important decisions like farm loan waiver and meal at Rs 10 for poor people.

“When the country was facing unrest due to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the six-member ministry kept the state calm,” the Marathi publication said.

It also said that due to the induction of Sena allies like Bachchu Kadu (of Prahar Janshakti Party), Shankarrao Gadakh (Krantikari Shetkari Paksh) and Rajendra Yedravkar (Independent), many Shiv Sainiks could not make it to the ministry.

Apart from the opposition BJP, Sena MP Sanjay Raut also skipped the ministry expansion ceremony on Monday. Raut’s absence was attributed to his brother Sunil Raut, a Sena MLA, not getting a ministerial berth.

Referring to the induction of the chief minister’s son and first-term MLA Aaditya Thackeray into the Cabinet, the Sena said he had plans for sectors like education, health, sports, tourism and environment, and now has the opportunity to work as minister.