Political spat erupts in Maharashtra as Sena (UBT), ruling BJP trade barbs over foreign visits

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray addresses a press conference in Mumbai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Launching a scathing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday slammed the dispensation for planning foreign trips at the expense of taxpayer’s money.

He also raised questions about Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s wagh nakh (knuckle duster with metal nails resembling tiger claws) that was being brought to the State from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The former Minister sought to know where it’s on display, even as he enquired whether it would remain permanently here or if it was on loan or was it from the era of the legendary warrior king. Shivaji Maharaj is said to have used the wagh nakh to kill Afzal Khan, general of the Bijapur Sultanate, in 1659.

State Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and officials from his department are set to visit the United Kingdom on October 3 and sign an MoU with the Victoria and Albert Museum authorities to get the weapon on loan for three years. According to officials, the State government is planning to bring the weapon by November and display it in four museums, namely, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai, the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Satara, the Central Museum in Nagpur and Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Kolhapur.

Earlier, the State government was planning to bring jagdamba, the ceremonial sword of Shivaji Maharaj, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the famed Maratha ruler’s ascension to the throne. The sword, set with several diamonds and rubies, was presented to Albert Edward, then Prince of Wales and later King Edward VII, by Shivaji IV “as a relic of the Maratha chief Shivaji to whom it formerly belonged” during the former’s visit to India in 1875-76 and is currently on display at Saint James’s Palace in London.

While taking a dig at the Shinde government over foreign tours, Mr. Thackeray also questioned the preparatory visit of Industries Minister Uday Samant to Davos in Switzerland four months ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

He said Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe led a 50-member delegation on a foreign study tour. “What study was done during the tour? Farmers are in misery here and money is being splurged in this manner,” Mr. Thackeray alleged.

The former Minister said that after he highlighted the misuse of taxpayer’s money on foreign visits without a clear agenda, Mr. Shinde and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar dropped their planned foreign visits. Mr. Shinde cancelled his trips to the United Kingdom and Germany, while Mr. Narwekar was supposed to be part of a delegation to Ghana to attend the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) next week. Mr. Thackeray accused them of planning a “holiday disguised as an official tour”.

He also criticised the delay in addressing disqualification petitions against Shiv Sena MLAs, including Mr. Shinde, and called for accountability and questioned the expenses of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ visit to Japan, claiming that it was paid for by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and demanded a detailed report.

In response, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar defended Mr. Fadnavis’s visit, stating that Japan covered the expenses, and criticised Mr. Thackeray for his remarks, stating that he should not overstep boundaries due to “immaturity”. The investments brought about by the visit are available on Mr. Fadnavis’ social media posts, Mr. Shelar said, adding that “those who visited foreign countries when their father was ill should not preach to others”.

Taking a swipe at Mr. Thackeray, the BJP MLA said: “This happens due to immaturity but one must not cross limits”. Soon, the Sena (UBT) leader shared that Government Resolution which stated that “the entire expenditure on travel and accommodation for delegation to be borne by MIDC, Mumbai”. He added that unless this was a coded message, it meant that the government has accepted that Mr. Fadnavis’s Japan tour expenses were borne by MIDC and that too as an afterthought.