Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday, 9 July launched a sharp attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over water leakage detected inside the Mumbai-Pune Expressway 'Missing Link' tunnel, accusing the MahaYuti government of concealing its failures behind emotional appeals. Speaking at the anniversary event of the MNS Railway Kamgar Sena, Thackeray questioned the government's response and alleged deep-rooted corruption in state infrastructure contracts.

Thackeray Hits Back at 'Don't Politicise' Warning

Fadnavis had cautioned the Opposition against politicising the tunnel leak during a Legislative Assembly session, also stating he could tolerate personal attacks but not what he called an insult to Maharashtra. Thackeray rejected both arguments outright.

'Wow! He says don't politicise it. When anyone speaks out, it becomes politics to them. What were you doing all those years when you were in the Opposition? Weren't the agitations you staged against previous governments politics? Now that the heat is on you, you claim the Opposition is playing politics,' Thackeray said.

He also pushed back on the insult-to-Maharashtra framing: 'People are raising genuine questions about the Missing Link project. Where is the insult to Maharashtra in that? If anyone speaks against the Central government, they are labelled anti-national. If someone speaks about the Missing Link, it is called an insult to Maharashtra! Are citizens not supposed to ask you questions at all?'

Tunnel Leaked Within 60-65 Days of Inauguration

The Missing Link project was inaugurated on 1 May. By July, water was reportedly seeping through the tunnel walls — a gap of roughly 60 to 65 days. Thackeray pointed to this timeline as evidence of compromised construction quality.

'During the inauguration, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was boasting about how materials for the project were sourced from various countries. But the moment you hand it over to Indian contractors, they do exactly what they always do,' he said.

Thackeray also targeted Fadnavis for warning critics in the Assembly that he would deal with those politicising the issue. 'Listen, you are the Chief Minister. What do you mean by I will deal with you?' he remarked.

Hindi Remark Sparks Intra-BJP Infighting Claim

Thackeray drew attention to Fadnavis switching to Hindi mid-speech in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly — a body where most legislators are Marathi-speaking. He alleged the shift was a signal directed at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central leadership rather than the House itself.

'Perhaps Devendra Fadnavis wanted to send a message to his party bosses at the top, telling them that I will deal with them. Even he knows where these leak videos are originating from. There is massive internal infighting brewing within the BJP — just wait and watch what happens next,' Thackeray alleged.

Corruption Allegations: 56 Per Cent in Kickbacks

The MNS chief concluded with a pointed allegation on contractor corruption, claiming that contractors are openly stating they must pay 56 per cent of the contract value as bribes to state government officials.

'If they have to execute the project with just the remaining 44 per cent of the budget, this is exactly the kind of roads you are going to get,' he said. Thackeray also alleged that the MahaYuti government has completely ruined Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Thane under the banner of development, arguing that building roads and flyovers alone does not constitute genuine progress.

What Comes Next

The tunnel leak controversy is likely to intensify scrutiny on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link project's quality-assurance processes and contractor oversight mechanisms. With Thackeray's allegations of intra-BJP friction now on record, political pressure on Fadnavis is expected to mount ahead of the next Assembly session.