Uddhav targets BJP-led Centre, Mahayuti over NEET, Ayodhya temple; calls them ‘leakages govts’

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP-led Centre and ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra, calling the dispensations “leakage governments”, a reference to alleged irregularities in NEET and water seepage at Ayodhya Ram temple.

Addressing a press conference here, he also termed the monsoon session of the state legislature, which commenced on Thursday, as the “send-off” session of the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He demanded that farm loans be waived before the assembly elections, scheduled later this year.

Earlier in the day, legislators belonging to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) raised slogans against the government over the NEET exam on the premises of the legislature complex.

Thackeray raked up the row over NEET and the recent statement of Acharya Satyendra Das, Ram Janmabhoomi temple’s chief priest, about water leakage at the Ayodhya shrine, to target the Centre and state governments.

“The Centre and the state are leakage governments because exam papers (NEET) were leaked and there is leakage in the Ram temple sanctum sanctorum. They have no shame,” he said.

The former chief minister also demanded that farm loans be waived before the assembly elections.

“There should be a complete waiver of farm loans immediately and this should be implemented before the state polls,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray said 6,250 farmers have died in the state in the last two years. Since January 1 alone, 1,046 farmers have committed suicide, he said.

He also said that an assistance of Rs 10,020 crore announced for the farmers was yet to be released.

Thackeray accused the BJP-led Centre of being insensitive over water woes in the country.

Ahead of the state budget, which will be presented on Friday, Thackeray said there will be “rain of assurances” in the budget, but the government should also present a white paper on the promises it has fulfilled in the last two years.

On reports that the state will launch a scheme for women on the lines of Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Ladli Behna’ programme, Thackeray said a similar initiative should be launched for men in view of the rising unemployment in the state.

He also backed his party's member of legislative council Anil Parab's demand to reserve 50 per cent homes in new residential projects in Mumbai for Marathi-speaking people. Parab had claimed that their number was declining in the metropolis.

About his chance meeting with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in a lift at the state legislature building which was garnering much attention on social media, he called it a “mere coincidence”. It was an “informal meeting”, he said.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Sena (UBT) and its partners Congress and NCP (SP) put up a good show bagging 30 of the 48 seats in the state. This has led to speculations over new political alignments ahead of the assembly polls.