In an effort to drive a wedge between Mahayuti partners BJP and Shiv Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has taken to praising Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday praised Fadnavis for his firm stand on appointments of staffers in ministers’ offices and keeping away fixers and brokers.
In an editorial, the daily congratulated the CM but took aim at his alliance partner, Shiv Sena leader and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying that fixers and brokers had a free run during his time at the helm.
When Shinde was chief minister, corruption was rampant and politics was rotten, the edit said. Funds were collected to buy legislators, members of Parliament, corporators and contractors, it said. Even state bodies such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, and Slum Rehabilitation Authority were not spared, the editorial said.
One fund collector fled to Dubai with Rs10,000 crore, it claimed.
Praising the CM, it said that Fadnavis had started the work of putting an end to all these activities. “Fadnavis has rejected 16 names recommended for appointment as personal assistants, personal secretaries and officers on special duty. That means they were engaged as fixers and brokers. Of those 16 rejected, 12 were suggested by ministers from the Shinde camp,” the newspaper said.
The editorial also referred to the ongoing spat between MMRDA and the French firm Systra’s Indian arm, Systra MVA Consulting (India) Pvt Ltd. Systra MVA has accused MMRDA of “commission” extortion. “This company is involved in the construction of the metro. Bills for regular work done by this company are being deliberately delayed. Foreign companies are told that the bills will not be cleared unless the ‘master’s’ commission is received. This is only defaming our country,” Saamana said.
