Mumbai, Oct 24 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena (UBT) has accused the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government of orchestrating a colossal scam in Maharashtra. In its publication 'Saamana', Uddhav Thackeray's party asserted on Friday that fresh evidence has surfaced regarding a scandal involving the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, indicating that funds meant for the 'sisters' were misappropriated by men.

The alleged amount involved is approximately Rs 25 crore, with claims that the scam was executed in collusion with CM Fadnavis, Deputy CM Shinde, and others.

The Thackeray faction mocked the threats posed by the Mahayuti coalition to unveil opposition scams, branding these threats as a “huge joke”.

In the editorial, the Thackeray camp noted that CM Fadnavis and others have consistently portrayed the Ladki Bahin Yojana as a means to financially empower women, whereas, in reality, it has become a mechanism to “buy women's votes” by offering a mere Rs 1,500 monthly aid. Approximately 12,431 men have benefited from this scheme, while it has become evident that around one lakh ineligible women exploited the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The government, which deposited Rs 164.20 crore into the accounts of ineligible beneficiaries, has failed to prevent this scandal.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena criticized the Fadnavis administration, stating that treason has its limits and should not go unpunished. “With a Fadnavis-led government in the state, the opposition is accused of perpetrating scams! What is the Chief Minister doing? It’s time for him to resign and sit in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office,” they taunted.

“Chief Minister Fadnavis has made bold claims about exposing the opposition's scams related to the electoral rolls. It is unwise for him to make such statements during Diwali, asserting that he will reveal how members of opposition parties benefited from electoral roll scams. This indicates that the opposition’s campaign against the Election Commission and the revelations of vote rigging have deeply affected Fadnavis,” the editorial stated.

The Thackeray camp deemed it absurd for Fadnavis to speak of unearthing opposition scams. Corruption involving the BJP and its associates during elections has been consistently exposed. “The Election Commission operates under his influence. The district-level election authorities are his appointees. The machinery for managing electoral rolls is controlled by Fadnavis's officers. How can he accuse the opposition of benefiting from electoral fraud when the Election Commission is following the government's directives?” they questioned.

“Recently, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat noted about 9,500 bogus voters in his Sangamner constituency. Officials hastily added these names to the electoral rolls without proper verification to undermine Thorat. Many of these voters reside outside the constituency. Given this, the ruling alliance's assertion that the opposition benefitted from the electoral roll fraud is utterly ludicrous,” remarked the Thackeray camp. They emphasized that the ruling party should not underestimate the opposition, highlighting the absurdity of claiming the electoral roll scam benefited the opposition.

“Fadnavis has spoken twenty times within the last twenty hours about the opposition's scams. His statement about the existence of such a scam, implying opposition benefit, is an open acknowledgment of a significant fraud occurring within the electoral system and voters’ lists. The Fadnavis government is implementing numerous measures to suppress the publicity of the scandals perpetrated by his government, ensuring that cases are swiftly buried. He continues to speak of the opposition's so-called scams,” the Thackeray camp sarcastically stated.

According to the editorial, the land scam involving Pune's Jain Trust is valued at Rs 3,500 crore. “If opposition party members are implicated, Fadnavis must address it. The ties to this Jain Trust land scam have reached the Chief Minister's Office. The Jain community in Pune demands accountability from Fadnavis regarding this land scam, yet he deflects blame onto opposition parties, which is nothing short of a farce,” it concluded.