Mumbai: Corruption is rampant in the state under the Mahayuti government, with commission-taking becoming a norm in every department. Major corruption has also been reported in the construction of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, built at a cost of Rs 55,000 crore. Due to corruption, cracks have appeared on this highway within a year. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole has launched a scathing attack, saying that only the rulers have prospered from the Samruddhi Mahamarg. The large number of accidents has earned it the nickname “the highway of death.”
Speaking to the media at the Vidhan Sabha premises, Congress state president Nana Patole said that cracks have appeared on the road due to the corruption involved in the Samruddhi Mahamarg construction. The highway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Similar issues were exposed in the Rs 18,000 crore Atal Setu connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. Patole remarked that the cracks on Samruddhi and Atal Setu are indicative of the unreliability of Modi’s guarantees. He further stated that the skeletons of corruption are being revealed, but the Mahayuti government remains unashamed.
Patole also accused the government of deliberately raising the issue of Maratha and OBC reservation to divert attention. He reminded that Devendra Fadnavis had promised to provide reservation to the Dhangar and Maratha communities in 2014, and it is his responsibility to fulfill it. According to Patole, the ruling parties created chaos to blame the opposition despite having a BJP majority government at both the center and state levels.
The opposition was set to expose the government for presenting a supplementary budget of Rs 94 thousand crores, but the government accepted the budget amidst the chaos. Patole criticized the Speaker of the Assembly for working unilaterally, not allowing the opposition to speak, and only permitting ruling party ministers and members to voice their opinions. He claimed that the Speaker has tarnished the tradition of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly through partisan politics and warned that the Shinde government will face consequences for this behavior.
Furthermore, Patole accused the Mahayuti government of waiving a Rs 1700 crore loan for industrialist Anil Ambani while cheating the state’s women by giving them only Rs 1500 under the Ladki Bahini scheme. He stated that the government is misleading mothers and sisters, providing insufficient support as they struggle with inflation.
