Republican Party of India Chief Ramdas Athawale has reiterated his demand for inclusion of smaller parties that are part of NDA in Union as well as State cabinet. Talking to journalists in Mumbai Athawale said the smaller allies of NDA including his party played a key role in defeating the Congress and NCP combine and bringing to power the BJP government.
He said considering this the BJP should give each smaller ally an MLC seat in Maharashtra, along with a ministerial berth in the state government as they had been assured of it in writing by the BJP during the Assembly polls. Mr Athawale also said that he had been promised of a ministerial berth in the Central government before he decided to join hands with BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls. He complained that despite the expansion of cabinet on two occasions in the past, he has still not been accommodated in the Union cabinet.