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by IANS |
Nagpur, Dec 13 (IANS) Maharashtra's opposition, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), on Saturday alleged that the rights and interests of the Marathi people are being undermined by the government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"The Fadnavis-Shinde government has reduced the Marathi people's status to that of a 'doormat' and is now applying the balm of 'Pagdi-mukta' (Pagdi-free) Mumbai. This is hypocrisy. The real problem in Mumbai is that Marathi people are denied housing, and (Union Home Minister Amit) Shah, Shinde, Fadnavis and some cronies are the masterminds behind this," it said in a hard-hitting editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
It targeted DCM Shinde over his announcement of Mumbai to be made pagadi-free through a separate set of rules for the proper and fair redevelopment of old buildings under the pagadi system (a form of tenancy), which is claimed to benefit over 19,000 such buildings. Further, he had announced to grant "amnesty" to buildings without an Occupancy Certificate (OC), redevelop chawls on mill lands, and housing for police. There are reportedly 20,000 OC-less buildings in Mumbai, the editorial said, questioning how much of this will benefit the original residents of Mumbai— "the Marathi Manoos" or the sons of the soil.
The editorial also highlighted the "hypocrisy", noting that in Shinde’s own Thane district, hundreds of Marathi families were rendered homeless after bulldozers razed many OC-less buildings, an outcry that went ignored.
"The amnesty in Mumbai is a move aimed solely at winning votes. These announcements were made when flood-affected farmers in Marathwada are reportedly not receiving aid, and 6.5 lakh farmers are deprived of the Samman Yojana, requiring Rs 5,975 crore in necessary funds. Further, all these announcements were made while the municipal elections are expected to be announced within the next 72 hours," it said.
The Thackeray camp claimed that the recent announcements made by CM Fadnavis and DCM Shinde are with an eye on the upcoming elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and other civic bodies in the state, and are nothing but "old wine in a new bottle". The overall strategy is to use money to fight elections and shower people with popular announcements to deceive them, it said.
It highlighted the alleged discrimination against Marathi people in Mumbai’s housing societies, claiming that in areas like Mira-Bhayandar and Mumbai, some builders have reportedly displayed boards on societies stating: "Only Marwadi-Jain will get homes here", and that the BJP and RSS-affiliated people claim the primary language of Ghatkopar is Gujarati.
The Thackeray camp also claimed that Shinde and his associates have hatched a plan to snatch Mumbai from the hands of the Marathi people and present it as a gift to Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Marathi people to be extremely careful. "A senior minister in the Maharashtra Cabinet reportedly stated during a legislature session that the BJP has a plan to divide Maharashtra, and Chief Minister Fadnavis is working on it. The individuals who call themselves 'Shivsena' (referring to the Shinde faction) are cowardly soldiers who remain silent, neglecting the state's welfare. The moves to snatch Mumbai are part of these tactics," the editorial said.
The Saamana editorial also said that the Chief Minister is said to have sanctioned a massive Rs 32,523 crore fund for various development projects across the Pune Metropolitan Area, encompassing 220 projects. "This rush of announcements is taking place despite the Chief Minister's alleged admission of an economic emergency in the state, which is burdened with a debt of approximately Rs 9.5 lakh crore accrued under the Fadnavis-Shinde government.
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