Maharashtra Interim Budget 2024-25: Uddhav Thackeray Slams Eknath Shinde Govt, Says 'Not Doing Enough for Farmers'

The budget session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly began on Monday. On the second day of the session, Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented the interim budget with a provision of Rs 6,522 crore in the Assembly. Pawar said efforts are on to make the state's economy $1 trillion. Now, former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has reacted to the budget. 

Also Read | Maharashtra Interim Budget 2024-25 Key Highlights: Ajit Pawar Presents No Taxes Budget

'Nothing in the hands of farmers'
Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Thackeray said, "The state government has presented this budget keeping elections in mind. Just as some districts of the state have been hit by unseasonal rains recently, there are fears that farmers in distress and Maharashtra will be affected by these untimely announcements.  In the name of development schemes, schemes worth lakhs and crores of rupees were announced, in reality, nothing has fallen on the hands of farmers," Thackeray said. 

"This is a tender government."
"If you look at the one-and-a-half-two years of the Mahayuti government, there was a road scam in Mumbai, there were many scams in the state. This government is floating tenders on tenders. If we expose their scam, another tender is floated. Nothing actually works. The budget of this grand alliance government is helping their contractor friends while farmers are in anguish," Thackeray said.

पक्षप्रमुख मा. श्री. उद्धवसाहेब ठाकरे ह्यांनी विधानभवन परिसरात प्रसारमाध्यमांच्या प्रतिनीधींशी साधलेला संवाद. pic.twitter.com/zQq1Wh2Gf2

— ShivSena - शिवसेना Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (@ShivSenaUBT_) February 27, 2024

What happened to the Shiv Smarak?
"Today, Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers are on strike, no one is paying attention to them. Many people are dying in government hospitals without doctors and medicines. Instead of addressing them, the government is announcing new hospitals. What happened to the old announcements has not been followed up and there is a mirage of new announcements. He reiterated the policy we had taken regarding Shivaji's forts. Who will take the guarantee of completing the Shiv Smarak that was worshiped by PM Modi? The back and forth is a flat budget," Thackeray said. 

On Maratha protestors
On this occasion, Uddhav Thackeray also commented on the Maratha movement. "When Manoj Jarange started the agitation, he was lathi-charged and women's heads were smashed. They were treated as terrorists. Now, Jarange has levelled various allegations against the government. There has been talk of checking phone records. The present Director General of Police is an expert in phone records, from whom Home Minister Fadnavis should take all those records and take action. You go so far as to label those who protest as extremists. If someone's demand is not met, then he should be taken into confidence and explained. Why are you going after jarange? If you are going to set up an SIT, then investigate with impunity," Thackeray said.