Mumbai: A fresh row has erupted within the BMC after Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde alleged that then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had directed civic authorities to deny funds to BJP corporators, reopening a contentious chapter from the previous regime. The debate over the BMC’s fixed deposits soon escalated into a political confrontation, with Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Lakshmi Bhatia alleging discrimination in the allocation of corporators’ funds. Speaking during a discussion on quarterly FD reporting, she accused the administration of misleading the public over the distribution of civic funds.
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) corporator Yamini Jadhav targeted the Thackeray faction over the delay in BMC elections, arguing that the current situation could have been avoided had polls been held as scheduled in 2022, when Thackeray was Chief Minister. She said the then leadership must take political responsibility for the vacuum that emerged after the elected civic body’s term ended without fresh elections. A political war of words erupted after BJP corporator Sheetal Gambhir challenged Bhatia to join the BJP benches, triggering a heated exchange between the two sides. The debate took a sharper turn when Shinde levelled allegations against the previous Thackeray-led government, claiming that BJP corporators had been denied funds on the then CM's instructions. He alleged that political differences had hampered development works in Opposition-held wards. Beyond the political confrontation, the committee deliberated on green bonds, Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and the civic body’s financial roadmap. House leader Ganesh Khankar called for clarity on the expected returns from green bonds, the proposed use of Union government grants and the impact of BMC funding decisions on BEST.
