Mumbai, July 11 (IANS). A heated debate was witnessed in the Maharashtra Assembly on Saturday when Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde on Friday evening accused the opposition leader of selectively following Hindutva and questioned why Uddhav Thackeray remained silent on alleged donation irregularities at Mumbai’s iconic Siddhivinayak temple during his former chief ministerial tenure.
The political clash comes amid the ongoing national controversy over serious irregularities and theft of donated funds and valuables at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Addressing the House, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde strongly condemned the security and financial lapses revealed in the Ayodhya temple and said that these incidents have deeply hurt the sentiments of millions of Ram devotees across the country.
Eknath Shinde confirmed that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already made arrests and is actively investigating the Ayodhya case. He assured strict accountability.
He stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will not spare anyone involved in this and will ensure that the culprits are sent to jail.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde immediately turned the focus towards Maharashtra and displayed documents in the House targeting the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
He alleged that there was widespread mismanagement and misappropriation of funds at the Siddhivinayak temple during Thackeray’s tenure.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde asked that when your political associates were caught looting the donation box of Siddhivinayak Temple, why did you not order an investigation at that time?
He further said that I have documentary evidence of mismanagement during your (Uddhav Thackeray’s) tenure.
–IANS
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