Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 13 : Maharashtra Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Yogesh Kadam dismissed the allegations levelled by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray against the ruling Mahayuti, saying that such claims are made when one is aware of losing the elections.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that Raj Thackeray and others should prove these allegations if they are confident about them.
"They make such allegations when they know they will lose the elections, and if they are so confident, they should prove it. Balasaheb Thackeray always trusted Eknath Shinde, and they know this," Kadam said.
He further accused the Thackeray brothers of playing fast and loose and thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for exposing them.
"I thank CM Devendra Fadnavis for exposing Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray. To say one thing in front and do another behind the scenes has been their tactic. This is what has been exposed," Kadam said.
His remarks come after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has levelled serious allegations against the ruling Mahayuti of offering bribes to voters and opposition candidates for withdrawal of nominations in the upcoming local body elections.
While addressing a joint rally with Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders in Thane, he alleged that money has been offered to candidates to withdraw their nomination forms in 66 places (wards). He further said that money was being offered to voters despite claims of development.
"BJP people are distributing money, and Shinde's people are catching them. Don't know what is happening. I visited Kalyan-Dombivli and other poll areas. They are distributing Rs 5,000 per vote. I don't understand. On the one hand, they claim to have worked toward development. On the other hand, they pay money and ask for votes. Then what development are you talking about?" Raj Thackeray said.
Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis countered the opposition's claims over threats to the "Marathi manush". He said it was not the Marathi community, but certain political forces whose existence was at stake.
"It's not the Marathi manush whose existence is in danger. It's you whose existence is at stake. I want to say this again that you are not the whole of Maharashtra. You are not the only Marathi here. I want to reiterate that only a Marathi person will be at the helm of affairs in BMC. Only Marathi will lead," Fadnavis said.
He then responded to criticism over the language policy row, saying that the decision to teach Hindi and English in schools was approved during Uddhav Thackeray's tenure and that the current government had only formed a committee to study its implementation.
"There was a report in Uddhav Thackeray's tenure in which it was recommended that Hindi and English must be taught to students in schools. This report was submitted in September 2021 and approved by the then-cabinet of Uddhav Thackeray on 20th January 2022. This cabinet meeting's minutes were re-approved by him a week later. We just formed a committee to study the implementation of this cabinet decision of 2022, and they created a ruckus," Fadnavis said.
The polling for 29 municipal corporation elections across the state, including Mumbai, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, is scheduled for January 15. The vote counting will take place on January 16.