22-Jul-2025 12:43 PM
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Mumbai, July 22 (Reporter) Shiv Sena (UBT) has escalated pressure on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to immediately reshuffle his cabinet and remove five to six ministers embroiled in controversies ranging from alleged gambling in the Assembly to bribery and honey-trap scandals.
The demand features prominently in Tuesday's editorial of the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', which claims Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed decisive action over these ethical breaches.
The editorial mentions multiple allegations against cabinet members: one minister reportedly played rummy during legislative proceedings, another allegedly flaunted cash-filled bags while smoking publicly, and a third is accused of involvement in a girlfriend's murder. It further references the Nashik honey-trap scandal implicating “fourth and fifth ministers,” asserting that such conduct violates the government's professed Hindutva principles.
Specifically named ministers facing calls for expulsion include Sanjay Shirsat, Yogesh Kadam, Manik Kokate, Dada Bhuse, and Sanjay Rathod—alongside unnamed figures linked to the Nashik case. The Thackeray faction contends that these names dominate political discourse, with Shah having "issued clear instructions" for their removal.
The editorial mocks the cabinet's spiritual pretensions, noting some ministers performed 'Aghori puja' at Assam's Kamakhya temple before taking office but "misjudged their timing" given current controversies. It alleges BJP ministers' involvement in honey-trap operations despite Fadnavis' recent Assembly denial of such schemes, claiming police seek hidden pen drives containing "government ministers' secrets" related to the case...////...