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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been...

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been reduced to an annual ritual of tree-planting drives and clicking selfies for social media, though 90 pc of the saplings don’t survive even a day. “Only the government knows where those trees really are,” said Raj sternly. He recalled a "Blueprint of Maharashtra’s Development" he had proposed in 2015, in which he advocated how development without environmental sensitivity is hollow. Justifying, he said that the consequences are visible where roads, bridges and infrastructure projects are hailed as achievements, but even a short spell of rainfall can paralyze entire cities. Referring to recent reports on farmers returning from the fields after 10 am due to the scorching heat, Raj said that the worsening climate crisis has become an everyday reality. Citing official statistics, Raj claimed that extreme heat has caused productivity losses of nearly USD 159 billion and slashing of 160 billion work-hours annually in recent years. He mentioned the World Bank estimates that India’s GDP could plummet by 2.5-4.5 pc while 57 pc of the country’s districts sheltering 76 pc of the population stare at serious climate-related crises. Taking a swipe, he said while the governments boast about growth figures and economical rankings, they are silent on the staggering costs of environmental destruction. He questioned the development model “whether flooded cities, washed-away crops and unbearable summers” genuinely indicate progress. Claiming that Maharashtra was increasingly becoming unliveable for upto 8 months in a year, he said excessive monsoon rains disrupt rural life and urban floods cripple cities, while extreme heat make normal life a torture in summers in both urban-rural areas. Targeting the Centre, Raj alleged that nearly 173,984 hectares of forest lands were diverted in the past 11 years for mining and infrastructure projects to benefit the PM’s single favourite Adani Group. He said that these lands amount to 1,730 sqkm, or equivalent to the area of 16 Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) that is spread over barely 104 sqkm. Dissolve state wildlife board: Aaditya Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the Maharashtra government for issuing a permit to carry out mining activity in the sensitive tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari and Indravati sanctuaries housing the big striped cats. In a strongly-worded letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray sought his immediate personal intervention, sacking the Maharashtra State Board for Wild-Life (SBWL), revoking the permit, and probe against the Chief Wildlife Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) M. Srinivasa Reddy for the alleged lacunae. Aditya’s two-pager says the permit has been granted for “scientific exploration and excavation/systematic recovery of low-grade iron ore in existing mines in villages Hedri, Bande, Parsalgondi and Round Parsalgondi, in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli district”. Last January, Aditya – MLA from Worli – had first raised the issue saying that the proposed mine would create only 120 jobs, including 32 permanent, and the estimated output is pegged at 1.1 million tons in a year. Referring to two letters of Reddy – on April 28 and May 21 – the SS (UBT) leader claimed that in communications to the state government, the PCCF had changed his stance on the issue. Aditya said that in the first letter, Reddy had effectively opposed the government plans for mining activity but in the second letter, he took a somersault, ostensibly due to government pressures or some commercial interests, “the U-turn is disgraceful and detrimental to India’s national interest” – and this abrupt shift in stance must be investigated thoroughly. In view of the contrary stance of the PCCF Reddy, entrusted with protecting the wildlife but failing to defend the NTCA and NBWL, point to serious malfunctioning of the SBWL, and hence it must be dissolved, besides reviewing all its decisions in the past three years, particularly those pertaining to hazardous activities in sensitive areas, demanded Aditya. 444 tigers roam in 11,000 sq.km As per the Status of Tiger Report (2002), and the Maharashtra Economic Survey 2025-2026, the state boasts of 444 tigers prowling in the wild along with other menacing creatures. The state’s total protected wildlife network of 88 Notified Areas of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves - including 6 dedicated to the striped big cats – is spread over 11,092 sq. kms as per current data.

Fiery BJP-Shiv Sena clashes rock politics

Fiery BJP-Shiv Sena clashes rock politics

Devendra Fadnavis Eknath Shinde
Devendra Fadnavis Eknath Shinde

Mumbai: Another episode of the cold war between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde was seen on Monday when the state legislature gathered for the day’s business. A visibly angry Shinde came down heavily on Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi for allegedly manhandling his trusted aide Shambhuraj Desai a few days ago. In a strongly worded statement he called the incident as “murder of democracy” leaving Fadnavis upset.


Doshi is known as a close confidant of the CM, who also holds the home portfolio.


A prompt action by Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe also added to the fissures between ruling partners, the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Gorhe ordered suspension of Doshi with immediate effect based on Desai’s complaint made in the House. Jaykumar Gore, a BJP minister, was prompt to oppose the suspension. “Please revoke the SP’s suspension as it has been ordered without going into the fact finding,” he said.


The tussle was an aftermath of the bitterly fought election of Satara Zila Parishad president last week. The BJP had registered a surprise victory in a contest the Shiv Sena–NCP bloc expected to win. BJP candidate Pooja Shinde, wife of Shiv Sena MLA Mahesh Shinde, had emerged as winner in that election. Reports of cross voting and last minute defections altered the expected outcome. Shiv Sena leaders alleged that two councillors were stopped from voting after being detained by police while on their way to the ZP building.


Desai told the Legislative Council that was manhandled by police personnel in plain clothes as he tried to enter the ZP building before the said election. “I was beaten by the police when I was going into the ZP building. I was bleeding,” Desai said describing the incident as unprecedented in his four decades in politics.


The allegation prompted Gorhe to order the suspension of Doshi and to direct local authorities to preserve CCTV footage of the incident.


Judicial Probe

Shiv Sena and NCP leaders demanded a judicial probe and attacked the BJP led Home Department in the Council, accusing the administration of allowing the BJP to engineer the result. The party’s charge sheet included claims that BJP workers were allowed inside the ZP building while Sena members were blocked. Gorhe’s order escalated the matter into a full blown institutional confrontation.


The BJP pushed back, defending the police and urging that facts be ascertained before punitive action. Gore, the BJP minister who led the party’s campaign in Satara, said the police were responsible for maintaining law and order and that only ZP councillors should have been inside the building during the election. He warned against suspending an IPS officer without first obtaining factual reports and suggested that thousands of workers had entered the premises, complicating the security situation.


Split in Sena

What has made the episode particularly damaging for the Sena is the public split within its own ranks. Mahesh Shinde openly contradicted Desai and accused him of acting out of frustration after an alleged plan to realign locally with the Congress and NCP SP failed. Mahesh Shinde said the local Sena cadre had been prepared to remain with the Mahayuti alliance and rejected Desai’s purported designs. He alleged that some of the people accompanying Desai faced criminal charges, including kidnapping, and that a scuffle had followed a complaint lodged by the son of an alleged kidnap victim.


The confrontation echoes earlier intra party tensions that have simmered since the party’s split and the rise of Eknath Shinde as a dominant force in state politics.


Emotional Rift

CM Fadnavis said the matter would be investigated and that action would follow the findings. His assurance did little to calm the storm in the legislature, where Shiv Sena ministers staged protests and demanded stern action against police officers.


Opposition parties seized on the controversy to allege “Operation Lotus” tactics and to question the fairness of the election process.


Beyond the immediate disciplinary and legal questions, the Satara episode has revealed deeper strategic and emotional rifts within the ruling coalition.

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