MUMBAI: Cracks have started to appear within the Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra over the pothole-ridden Mumbai-Goa highway with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam tearing into BJP minister Ravindra Chavan and demanding his immediate resignation.
Equating BJP with a monster who wants everything, Kadam said, “If this attitude of the BJP continues, then they should contest the upcoming assembly polls separately”.
As a Public Works Department minister, Chavan has failed to handle the development and repair of Mumbai-Goa highway, he said. CM Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis should immediately sack the minister.
“I have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Amit Shah highlighting the pathetic conditions of Mumbai-Goa highway. In 2023, the minister had promised to make the road free of potholes this year and that the remaining development would also be completed. Despite his tall promises, nothing has happened,” Kadam said.
Since the BJP minister wants to break the alliance, he is not cooperating with the Shiv Sena MLAs to carry out the development work. Responding to Kadam’s allegations, Chavan asked the former to restrain himself before attacking him. “He is not behaving like an educated person. The Mumbai-Goa is a national highway and union minister Nitin Gadkari is also responsible for the state of the road,” BJP minister said.
Coming forward to support Kadam, DCM Devendra Fadnavis asked him to control himself and follow the alliance dharma. “I will speak to CM Shinde and ask him to control his people as such blistering statements hurt us,” Fadnavis said. Moreover, the relations between BJP and DCM Ajit Pawar-led NCP also got strained after BJP workers hurled the black fags to Pawar over non-inclusion of local BJP leaders in his programme.
The NCP demanded that Fadnavis control his people otherwise they will also give tit for tat reply. Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Thorave dubbed NCP state president Sunil Tatkare a “back stabber”. In one of the programmes, Thorave said that wherever Mr Tatkare goes, he backstabs the close and alliance persons.