Shiv Sena-BJP looted Rs40,000 crore: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar did not mince words while attacking the Shiv Sena.

Addressing the first Congress-NCP-Republican Party of India joint rally at Bandra on Thursday, he lambasted the Shiv Sena saying that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was a golden goose for the party.

He cited Raj Thackeray’s statement and alleged that the saffron party was responsible for irregularities of Rs40,000 crore in the last five years.

Holding the Sena-BJP combine responsible for the sorry state of Mumbai, Pawar said the leaders had no vision for the city’s development.

“When the political attention was focused on 27 zilla parishads which went to polls a couple of days ago, almost all Shiv Sena leaders were camped at Mumbai. It clearly shows how important the Mumbai municipal corporation is for the party,” he said.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, in an interview, had said the saffron combine at the BMC was responsible for irregularities of Rs40,000 crore in the last five years.
 
Pawar said Raj had been a part of the Thackeray family and so his statement holds water.

“The Sena leadership was only interested in retaining the BMC’s control. The leadership neither has the vision for development nor does it have any idea of the problems of the common man,” said Pawar.

The Union agriculture minister said the saffron combine was responsible for the sorry state of the city, which was once known to be a leading city on many fronts including industries, engineering, pharmaceuticals and transport. 

“The diminishing status of Mumbai has cost dear to not only to the city but also to the state and country as it has been the iconic city of India. The time has come for the citizens to decide,” he added.

Pawar also took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by citing the Karnataka assembly’s porngate issue. He said the BJP MLAs have belittled the image of the elected representatives.

Almost all key leaders from both parties shared the dais.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the government had initiated inquiries into the tender procedures that had primarily found gross irregularities. He said his government has planned development projects worth Rs1 lakh crore for the city and the projects are underway.