Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday dismissed speculation that he was upset over not being nominated to the Rajya Sabha and, in a lighter vein, said, “I am a kabaddi player, not a chess player.”Bhujbal also said his turn for a parliamentary berth could come in the future.He was believed to be the frontrunner for the June 18 Rajya Sabha bypoll, necessitated due to the resignation of deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, for which the NCP has fielded Rajendra Jain.Speaking to reporters, Bhujbal said he had expressed his desire to enter the Rajya Sabha and suggested that the yardstick applied to other political families be extended to him as well.“I want to go to the Rajya Sabha. I want to go to the Lok Sabha as well. Opportunities came four or five times, but nothing came my way,” he said.Referring to political leaders whose family members hold positions in Parliament and govt simultaneously, Bhujbal said there were several such examples and that he, too, deserved a similar opportunity after decades of work in public life.“I said the same principle should apply to me as well. My son (referring to his nephew and former MP Sameer Bhujbal) can be made a minister, and I can go to the Rajya Sabha,” he said.Chhagan Bhujbal said a proposal to this effect was discussed with the BJP leadership, but there was little time available before the Rajya Sabha election process.He rejected reports that the BJP had turned down the proposal and said he had been informed that a cabinet expansion was likely, during which such matters could be considered.“There is no truth in reports that the BJP rejected the proposal. Am I upset? No. Why should I be upset?” he said.The senior leader said he was only seeking what he described as a fair opportunity, pointing out that others had been accommodated in Parliament and government.“I should also get justice. If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after,” he sai Meanwhile, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said on Monday that Bhujbal’s leadership should not be confined to the state, and that the country could have benefited from his parliamentary skills if he had been nominated to the Rajya Sabha.Responding to questions about Bhujbal’s national ambitions, Sule told reporters in New Delhi that there was nothing wrong if the veteran OBC leader wished to move to national politics.“If he wants to go to Delhi, what is wrong with that?” she said.Sule said there has always been great respect for Bhujbal within political circles and said she had long believed that his leadership deserved a larger national platform.“Bhujbal saheb’s leadership should not remain confined to Maharashtra alone. The country should benefit from his leadership,” she said.
