Maharashtra minister warns of fund cut if Sena (UBT) candidates win in ZP polls; Oppn hits out

Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane launched an attack on the Shiv Sena UBT saying he would withhold development funds for candidates of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party if they get elected in the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections.

Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane launched an attack on the Shiv Sena (UBT) saying he would withhold development funds for candidates of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party if they get elected in the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections. The Shiv Sena (UBT) hit back saying the government treasury was not a private piggy bank and accused Rane of misusing power. As many as 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in the state will go to polls on February 7, with votes being counted on February 9. Addressing an election rally in Fonda constituency of Kankavli in Sindhudurg district on Sunday, Rane said, ''I release funds after looking at the poll symbol. If I see the lotus or the bow and arrow (BJP and Shiv Sena poll symbols), funds are granted immediately. But if, by mistake, the flaming torch symbol (Sena UBT) appears, I will even cut funds that are already sanctioned.'' The BJP leader, who was campaigning for a Shiv Sena candidate, claimed a similar approach was adopted during the gram panchayat elections. ''We had clearly warned all sarpanches to hand over their gram panchayats to us, or they would not get even a single rupee. As a result, all sarpanches quickly came to our side,'' he said. Hitting back, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Akhil Chitre said the government treasury is not one's private piggy bank but public money. The remarks by Rane are not in line with democracy but an admission of misuse of power, he said. Chitre further said Rane's remarks violate the oath taken by him as minister that he would act in an impartial manner. Will the chief minister and governor act against Rane or give muted approval to these remarks, he asked. Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said Maharashtra under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has transformed from a democracy to a dictatorship. ''Fadnavis wants to finish democracy, Constitution and the Opposition parties,'' Sapkal said. During his address on Sunday, Rane further asserted that the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections were becoming one-sided, and voters were questioning the need to support rivals. He said the local polls were being fought under the leadership of MP Narayan Rane and expressed confidence that the district would remain under his leadership for the next five years. The minister said the BJP is ''not concerned'' about the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), claiming its candidates were barely visible during campaigning and some were ''in hiding''. ''After the elections, they will have to come to us again for funds,'' he said.

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