Farmers Movement Archive

CM counters Oppn charge, says we came clean on Covid

MUMBAI: Hitting back at the Opposition during the debate on the governor’s address, CMUddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the ruling coalition had tackled the pandemic in a transparent manner and questioned the BJP’s record of being a custodian of national interest. Participating in the discussion on the motion for the Governor’s address in the lower house, Thackeray countered BJP’s allegations of “high-level corruption” in Covid-19 management by questioning its nationalistic credentials. “Shiv Sena was not a part of the freedom struggle. However, even BJP’s parent body (RSS) was not part of it. If you (BJP) could not give justice to the common man, then you have no right to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’,” said Thackeray. Thackeray questioned the Modi regime’s stand on issues linked to the state, saying its unwillingness to grant classical status to Marathi language, Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar, rename Aurangabad airport as ‘Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport’ raised questions. He said its stand on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border row, the sudden decision to announce a lockdown, the steep increase in fuel prices, the new farm laws, the ‘Thali Bajao’ initiative, the Kanjurmarg metro land issue, were all indicative of poor governance. “Petrol prices have reached hundred rupees while gas cylinders are heading towards the thousand-rupee mark. Thanks, at least they have not increased the rate of bicycles,” said Thackeray. Referring to the now-famous meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah at Matoshree in 2019, before the elections, Thackeray said, “The strategy on how to go ahead together was discussed in a room. However, you (Shah) ‘shamelessly’ denied everything outside. Yes, though ‘shamelessly’ is an unparliamentary word I am using it. Is this your Hindutva? Is this your love towards late Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray?” said Uddhav. Shah on a recent visit to Maharashtra, had publicly denied that he promised Thackeray that the chief ministership of the state would be a rotational post between the erstwhile allies, BJP and Sena, after the assembly polls. In his assembly speech, Thackeray also claimed that the cost of the Metro III rail project has escalated by Rs 10,000 crore owing to an ongoing dispute over the Kanjurmarg land. Thackeray appealed to the Opposition to cooperate with the government on the issue saying both Centre and state have a stake in the Metro rail project. The CM refuted the corruption charges relating to the handling of the pandemic, which were raised by opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis. He said the state did not hide the number of positive patients or the deaths. “Covid risk is still persistent. There shouldn’t be politics over the pandemic…the lockdown was the only solution to tackle it…Coronavirus does not make a distinction between members of the ruling and opposition.”

The Times of India

2021-03-04

Mumbai