Ahead of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurating two new metro rail lines in Mumbai, the opposition BJP on Saturday said the Shiv Sena was taking credit for the work done under the previous Devendra Fadnavis dispensation.
The state unit of the BJP tweeted that these metro lines as well as several other ones were cleared and construction started under the Fadnavis government between 2014 and 2019.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, the ruling alliance led by the Sena, has a simple policy, which is to oppose metro lines while they are being planned and built and then take credit by inaugurating them when they are completed, the state unit of the BJP said. It added that work on some lines had not even started after the MVA government took over in late 2019, and Line 3 had got stalled as the Sena insists on having the carshed at a plot in Kanjurmarg, which is stuck in a legal battle, instead of Aarey Colony that experts had suggested during feasibility studies.
"The stubborn attitude of the Sena has increased the cost of Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz-Airport) by over Rs 10,000 crore," the BJP claimed.
The BJP said it was boycotting the inauguration event scheduled for evening as the state government had not invited Fadnavis for it. Thackeray will be inaugurating two metro lines running along Link Road and Western Express Highway in the north-west part of the metropolis.
Meanwhile, state Urban Development minister and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde said there should be no politics over credit when it comes to public services like metro rail. Speaking to reporters, Shinde said, "There should not be politics over who takes credit for public services. We should focus on what can be done to minimise the suffering of people due to overcrowded local trains and jam-packed roads."
Watch latest videos by DH here:
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks