Maharashtra NCP minister Narhari Zirwal has drawn flak from his party head Ajit Pawar and BJP cabinet colleague Girish Mahajan for humorously describing Hingoli as a \u201cpoor\u201d district.<\/p>\n
Mr Zirwal, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator from Nashik district and a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister Pawar, made the remarks on Sunday while addressing a gathering in Hingoli district, of which he is the guardian minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here (Hingoli) for the first time as a cabinet minister and guardian minister. I realised that this is a marginal and poor district. Once I return to Mumbai, I will ask (seniors) why a poor person like me has been given the responsibility of a poor district,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The lighthearted remarks by the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) minister elicited laughter from the audience.<\/p>\n
However, the comments were not well-received by Mr Pawar and Mr Mahajan.<\/p>\n
Mr Pawar said, \u201cIf he has made such comments, it would not be appropriate. Every Tuesday, we have a meeting. I’ll ask him about this. If there is any miscommunication or misunderstanding, it will be addressed.\u201d Mr Mahajan also criticised the FDA minister’s statement, saying, \u201cZirwal is a senior leader. No district should be categorised as poor or rich. It is unnecessary to create such notions. He is intelligent and has held senior positions. He should not make such remarks.\u201d Facing the heat, Mr Zirwal clarified to the media that his comments were about the district’s condition on various development parameters.<\/p>\n
\u201cHingoli barely has a presence when you talk about industrial units or the creation of irrigation or drinking water infrastructure. My comments should not be seen as an expression of disappointment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been given the responsibility of this district to make something good here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Zirwal’s comments come amid apparent discontent among ministers in the state Mahayuti government — comprising the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena as allies — over the allocation of guardian minister posts.<\/p>\n
Earlier, NCP minister Manikrao Kokate had said that if an \u201coutsider\u201d was made the guardian minister of a district not nurtured by him, such an arrangement would create hurdles in resolving local issues.<\/p>\n
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had to stay the appointment of Mr Mahajan and NCP MLA Aditi Tatkare as guardian ministers of Nashik and Raigad districts, respectively, due to opposition from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)<\/i><\/p>\n
\u200bMaharashtra NCP minister Narhari Zirwal has drawn flak from his party head Ajit Pawar and BJP cabinet colleague Girish Mahajan for humorously describing Hingoli as a “poor” district.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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