Shiv Sena Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam severely criticized the head of Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday over the latter's three-day trip to Delhi. Nirupam claimed that the visit reflects increasing desperation in Thackeray as he looks for ways to impress the Congress high command just to be in power.
Nirupam remembered the good old times when national leaders used to visit Matoshree to discuss various issues during the time of late Hindu Hriday Samrat, Balasaheb Thackeray.
He said that while Pune and Nashik are suffering from heavy floods, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been very actively involved in relief work; he even cancelled his proposed Delhi visit to get immersed in the disaster. Nirupam countered this by accusing Thackeray of giving precedence to his political ambition as Chief Minister over this grave crisis of floods.
Nirupam has also brought into light the reasons for internal rift within Maha Vikas Aghadi and pointed out that leaders within are fighting with each other for the chief minister's post. He said when there are slim chances of this front coming into power, biggies like Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat, Jitendra Awhad, Anil Deshmukh, all are eyeing for the top position.
Going by Nirupam, Thackeray's Delhi visit seems to be a ploy to project him as one of the strong contenders for CM candidacy within MVA. He has gauged that the NCP(SP) chief would not back his candidature; therefore he was meeting other leaders in the INDIA bloc in a bid to exert pressure on Sharad Pawar.
Thane MP Naresh Mhaske and Shiv Sena legislator Sanjay Shirsat have also criticized Thackeray over the Delhi visit.
He referred to the Waqf Board, saying that it holds a vast amount of land—nearly eight lakh acres—which makes it the single largest land-holding entity in the country after the Indian Army and Railways. The land mafia has exploited the Waqf Board for misappropriating crores of rupees' worth of land in the name of religious purposes, he further added.
Nirupam criticized the INDIA bloc's opposition to the Waqf Board Amendment Bill, that seeks to bring in transparency into the functioning of the Board. He asked why Thackeray has kept mum over a Bill, which is aimed at stopping the ongoing loot of Waqf Board's assets, leading to the depletion of the country's resources.
He said it was the Sachar Commission, set up during the prime ministership of Dr. Manmohan Singh, which recommended changes in the Waqf Board Act, but the Congress did nothing and instead gave undue powers to the Waqf Board. He further said that it is the present NDA government which is trying to end these anomalies.
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