BJP Accuses Uddhav of Rs 3 lakh crore Corruption in BMC
Mumbai: Mumbai BJP on Sunday accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) of corruption worth over Rs three lakh crore during its 25-year rule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), terming it the “biggest corruption scam in the country”. Mumbai BJP chief and MLA Ameet Satam has issued an ‘Aarop Patra’ (charge sheet) alleging large-scale irregularities in civic affairs including roads, Covid supply, education, water supply, flood control, garbage transportation and public transport.
The Mumbai BJP chief’s allegations came after the manifesto of Raj Thackeray, who leads the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS at Shiv Sena Bhavan, was released on Sunday.
Raising issues regarding basic amenities, including pothole-free roads, in the country’s financial capital, Mr. Satam alleged that despite spending lakhs of crores, the people of Mumbai have not had good and pothole-free roads for two and a half decades during Shiv Sena’s regime in the civic body. “Despite spending Rs 21,000 crore, Mumbaikars still do not have pothole-free roads. The Thackeray-led party (undivided) has looted public money for the last 25 years through irregularities in the tender process, awarding contracts at inflated rates and awarding tenders to blacklisted companies.”
Highlighting corruption during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mumbai BJP chief said contracts were given to Lifeline Hospital Management Services using fake documents. Sujit Patkar, a close friend of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, was linked to the case and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a money laundering case against him. “While body bags worth Rs 1,500 were purchased by the civic body at an inflated cost of Rs 6,721 each, irregularities worth Rs 320 billion were reported in the supply of oxygen plants. Despite heavy expenditure, Maharashtra witnessed a higher COVID death rate,” the BJP legislator said.
Calling Uddhav Thackeray’s love for Marathi language fake, the BJP leader claimed that data obtained from BMC under the RTI Act showed a 70 per cent decline in the number of Marathi students. “114 Marathi medium schools in Mumbai have closed in the last decade and only 254 schools remain,” he said.
Responding to a question, the Mumbai BJP president said that if the mayor of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is elected in the BMC, Mumbai will become Pakistan.
