Shiv Sena legislators told to donate one month salary for flood relief

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Thursday appealed to party legislators to deposit their one month's salary in a party-operated fund for rain and flood-related relief work in the state.

The move by the Sena, which heads the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, to seek donations in the party's fund, instead of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF), has the potential to stoke a controversy.

Under the CMRF, the chief minister has the discretion to approve funds for medical assistance or help people in distress. Maharashtra BJP legislators have already announced donating their one month's salary to the CM Relief Fund.

A message circulated in the media by the Shiv Sena says the appeal to legislators for donations is being made as per instructions of chief minister and party president Uddhav Thackeray and Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, who is also a minister.

The message has been attributed to Shinde and Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu. The account, where legislators have to deposit money, is titled "Shiv Sena Madatnidhi" (relief fund) and held with Bhavani Sahakari Bank Ltd's branch in Mumbai's Dadar area.

Praveen Pandit, a Sena office-bearer and in-charge of the account handling work, said, “It is true that the party has decided to raise funds and asked its legislators, including ministers, to donate their one month's salary into the bank account operated by the party. I will be helping our legislators with the donation procedure.”

“It is not a new exercise for party workers. We have done it earlier as well,” he said. Large regions of Maharashtra, especially the coastal Konkan and western parts of the state, have been ravaged by recent heavy rains and floods.

More than 200 people have been killed in rain-related incidents so far. The Congress and the NCP, constituents of the MVA, have not yet made any announcement about donation for flood relief work.

Last year, the Shiv Sena and the BJP had locked horns after legislators of the opposition party in the state had donated their one month's salary to the PM Cares Fund, set up to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BJP was criticised by the Sena and its allies NCP and the Congress for not donating the money in the CM Relief Fund.