Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis asks 'reluctant' Pankaja Munde to attend water summit

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked Pankaja Munde to attend an international meet she wasn't inclined to.

Soon after news of her being relieved from the water conservation portfolio became public, Munde said she was to reach Singapore to attend a global water leader summit on Monday but won't do so as she was no longer the minister of that department.

Fadnavis, who is out of the country on an official tour, responded by saying that she must attend the event.

Reaching singapore tomorrow on monday there is world water leader summit i was invited but now wont attend since i m not minister incharge — PankajaGopinathMunde (@Pankajamunde) July 9, 2016

Of course you must attend WLS 2016.
As a senior Minister you would be representing 'The Government of Maharashtra'. https://t.co/czMYpLepMA

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 9, 2016

Earlier, as the water conservation minister, Munde had courted controversy in April by posting a selfie online.

She had later said that she posted selfies on her tour of parched Latur on the weekend in appreciation of the work done there by the local administration for drought relief.

Opposition had then accused Munde of gross insensitivity.

Fadnavis had on July 08 expanded his council of ministers by inducting 10 new faces. The exercise raised the strength of the ministry to 41, of which 27 are from the BJP, 12 from Shiv Sena 

(With PTI inputs)