Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) A fierce war of words erupted on Monday between the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and infrastructure failures in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. The political temperature soared after Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam targeted the MNS and the Shiv Sena(UBT), alleging that the two parties “milked” the BMC for 25 years.

Satam also took a direct swipe at MNS chief Raj Thackeray, triggering aggressive protests from MNS workers across the state. In response to Satam’s remarks, MNS workers launched widespread demonstrations. On Monday, an aggressive protest was organised near Chembur Station, where furious party workers hit Amit Satam’s effigy with footwear to express their resentment.

Senior MNS leader and former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar hit back at the BJP, targeting both Amit Satam and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the condition of the newly opened Mumbai-Pune Missing Link Expressway. “When a hunter aims precisely at his prey, he is called a hunter. But those who act in a hasty, reckless manner end up becoming the prey themselves. The Missing Link project was rushed through to inauguration just ahead of the elections to gather election funding. Take credit for good work, but take responsibility for its failures as well,” Nandgaonkar said.

Further, MNS on its official handle on X, targeted the BJP-led Mahayuti government, saying that “just two months ago, the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link, which was inaugurated with much fanfare, has come to a standstill due to a landslide. Considering that this is a landslide-prone area, weren’t any precautionary measures provided?”

MNS further stated, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is saying that the testing of this bridge is still ongoing.. If the Chief Minister’s stance is that testing is still underway, then why didn’t he ever mention that at the time of inauguration? What’s the purpose behind starting public travel and then conducting testing? You took the credit, but will you now take responsibility for this negligence?”

Moreover, Nandgaonkar also demanded an immediate audit of trees in Mumbai following recent tree-falling incidents, emphasising the need for robust pre-monsoon preparations.

Launching a scathing attack on Satam, Nandgaonkar said, “We have seen past Mumbai BJP presidents and their work. I don’t know why the new president has been appointed, but his behaviour reeks of the arrogance of power. Even past leaders, who believed their power would never fade, did not show such arrogance. We have worked with those veterans. The current leaders have achieved status overnight with shallow knowledge. When people in responsible positions lack basic decorum, such incidents happen.”

He further demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Ravindra Chavan immediately remove Amit Satam from his post. Addressing Satam’s criticism of Raj Thackeray, Nandgaonkar warned, “One must know their limits before speaking. Do we speak loosely about CM Fadnavis, PM Modi, or Amit Shah? Everyone must know their place.”

–IANS

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