'Mumbaikars punished you for years of misrule': Maha Dy CM Shinde fires salvo at Shiv Sena-UBT

Mumbai, Jan 23 (IANS) Shiv Sena chief leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Friday, took a swipe at the Shiv Sena-UBT Chief and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying that Mumbaikars punished him for years of misrule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and also rejected their emotional politics. 

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde launched a blistering attack on the Shiv Sena-UBT, attributing their municipal election defeat to 25 years of misrule characterised by potholes, pollution, and corruption.

Speaking at a press conference, he asserted that the Mahayuti alliance remains rock solid and will install Mayors in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Ulhasnagar.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said that despite holding power in the BMC for 25 years -- and leading the state for two-and-a-half years since 2019 -- the UBT faction consistently stalled key infrastructure projects.

"They (Shiv Sena-UBT) pushed Mumbaikars into potholes for 25 years and engaged in corruption even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Mahayuti government took over the charge of Maharashtra in 2022, we cleared all hurdles and initiated vital projects like the seven sewage treatment plants," he added.

Addressing the political landscape in Thane, Deputy CM Shinde emphasised that the district, a stronghold of the late Dharmaveer Anand Dighe, would remain loyal to the 'Saffron' (Shiv Sena-BJP) ideology.

In a clear warning to the Opposition, he reminded them that "Mumbra is very much a part of Thane district".

Regarding the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) support in Kalyan-Dombivli, Deputy CM Shinde noted that MNS has extended support to Shiv Sena specifically for the development of Kalyan-Dombivli.

"The MNS was previously aligned with Mahayuti during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Shiv Sena and BJP contested the local polls as an alliance and will form the government together."

"Except for a few municipal corporations, the Mahayuti alliance will install its Mayors in most locations across the state," Deputy CM Shinde predicted.

He reiterated that his party represents the true ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray.

He criticised the 2019 decision of the Shiv Sena-UBT faction to form a government against the public mandate by breaking the long-standing Shiv Sena-BJP alliance -- a partnership rooted in the era of Balasaheb Thackeray, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and L.K. Advani, and continuing today under PM Narendra Modi.

He also quipped that the Opposition is so "obsessed" with him that they see him in their dreams.

Contrasting the two political fronts, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde remarked that while the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance is built on a foundation of development, the Opposition's alliance is designed to "push others into pits".

"Our agenda is not about power or the Chief Minister's chair; it is about service. That is why the people of Mumbai have placed their trust in us," he commented.

Addressing recent social concerns, he also touched upon the Badlapur incident, calling it "unfortunate" and promising the strictest punishment for the accused.

He was referring to an incident wherein a 37-year-old school van driver allegedly molested a four-year-old girl in Badlapur.

He said that the police have arrested the accused and he should get a severe punishment.