Uddhav Thackeray calls BJP ‘dagabaz sarkar’, says they have no right to chant ‘Vande Mataram’
Jalna (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the BJP-led Maharashtra government a “dagabaz sarkar” (treacherous government), accusing it of betraying farmers.
He said the BJP and its allies have no right to chant the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ when they are “looting Bharat Mata”, referring to the controversial Pune land deal involving a firm linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth.
The Sena (UBT) chief was speaking after visiting Patoda village in Partur tehsil of Jalna district on the last day of his four-day tour of the Marathwada region to take stock of the devastation caused by torrential rains this monsoon.
Farmers suffered heavy losses due to intense rains and floods, yet the government’s relief measures remained slow and inadequate, he alleged.
“Farmers are not getting fair prices for their produce. The government announced procurement at MSP (minimum support price), but the purchasing centres started (operating) very late,” Thackeray said.
The former chief minister accused the government of deliberately delaying the ‘panchnama’ (damage assessment) process.
“The government is deceiving farmers. That’s why I call upon farmers to make their own panchnama of this ‘dagabaz sarkar’,” he said, urging farmers to visit government officials and ask them whether they did loss assessment and submit reports.
He also questioned the date of June 30, 2026, given by the government for a decision on farm loan waiver, terming it “bogus and deceitful.”
Thackeray said the “so-called” package declared by the chief minister is nothing but “cheating the farmers”. “Fadnavis called it a historic package. I call it a great deception,” he said, demanding Rs 50,000 per hectare compensation for affected cultivators.
The Devendra Fadnavis-led government last month announced a Rs 31,628-crore relief package for farmers in the state, saying heavy showers and floods damaged crops over 68.7 lakh hectares across 29 districts. At that time, the CM had termed the package an “unprecedented effort” by the government to stand firmly with every affected farmer in the time of crisis.
Thackeray also targeted the CM over the Pune land deal.
“Fadnavis has no courage to act. This is nothing but a loot of public money and the country. BJP and its allies have no right to chant Vande Mataram when they are looting Bharat Mata,” Thackeray said.
Hitting out at Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar, who had criticised repeated demands for loan waivers, Thackeray said, “Ajit Pawar himself has benefited from land deals. He has no moral right to speak about farmers.”
He accused the BJP of becoming a “Bharashtachar Janata Party” and alleged that the government had indulged in scams and corruption.
“The prime minister made ‘notebandi’ (demonetisation). Now, farmers should make ‘votebandi’ against the BJP and its allies,” he said.
After their dismal performance in last year’s assembly elections, the Sena (UBT) and its MVA allies, the Congress and NCP (SP), are gearing up for the upcoming local body polls in the state. The ruling Mahayuti has the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Shiv Sena, headed by Eknath Shinde, as partners.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
