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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.

Manoj Patil to hunger strike from May 30

Mumbai: The simmering discontent surrounding the Maratha reservation issue is poised to boil over once again, casting a long shadow over the state’s political landscape. Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has officially blown the bugle for a renewed, aggressive agitation, announcing an indefinite hunger strike set to commence on May 30. Addressing a massive gathering of supporters at Antarwali Sarati today, a visibly moved Jarange Patil laid bare his frustrations with the state government, accusing the administration of severe apathy, broken promises, and deliberate political sabotage against the Maratha community.


Speaking to a sea of supporters who had gathered to chart the future course of the movement, Jarange Patil stated that his heart was full looking at the overwhelming turnout. “The poor Maratha community has entrusted me with this responsibility with great faith, and I am determined to ensure their welfare,” he declared.


The activist made it unequivocally clear that the issue of reservation will not be abandoned under any circumstances. “I am ready to work my fingers to the bone and offer my life at your feet for this cause. The Maratha community has fought relentlessly without ever retreating,” he proclaimed, recalling how the community brought Mumbai to life with its sheer ideological strength and unity during previous protests.


Stalled Certificates

At the core of Jarange Patil’s renewed offensive is the state government’s failure to deliver on its institutional assurances. He pointedly highlighted that even after eight months, the promise to implement the Satara Gazette remains completely unfulfilled. The activist questioned the government’s apparent reluctance to issue a Government Resolution (GR) recognizing the historical records of the Satara and Kolhapur princely states, demanding that a GR be passed strictly on the lines of the 1994 framework.


“The government is deliberately dodging the issuance of Kunbi certificates,” he alleged. Issuing a stern ultimatum, Jarange Patil demanded the immediate distribution of the stalled Kunbi certificates before the May 30 deadline. “If the certificates are not given by the date of the agitation, there will be no respite for the government. Give the Kunbi certificates and win the hearts of the Marathas,” he challenged, warning the establishment that he would not let the community suffer a loss even if fifty generations of the ruling class were to come into power.


Blaming CM

The political temperature soared as Jarange Patil took direct aim at the state leadership, specifically targeting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. While he initially maintained a rhetorical balance by stating, “I do not blame Devendra Fadnavis,” he immediately followed up with a sharp accusation, asking, “Why were the subsequent certificates stopped? The poor Maratha is highly intelligent, do not forget that. The Kunbi certificates were stopped by Fadnavis himself.” He clarified that he is not a personal opponent of Fadnavis but insisted that he has a moral obligation to speak the bitter truth to his people.


Taking the confrontation a step further, Jarange Patil unleashed a bombshell allegation of political sabotage. He claimed that a state minister had hatched a plot to derail the agitation by offering a staggering two crore rupees to a rival organization to launch a smear campaign against him. “They decided to give crores to speak against me. But the very people who were offered the money came directly to me and exposed it,” he revealed. “I do not earn money by lying; the gang that makes money operates elsewhere. No matter how many tricks you play, I will not abandon this fight.”


No Alignment

Beyond specific administrative grievances, Jarange Patil is actively working to shift the socio-political dynamics of the Maratha community. In a significant strategic move, he explicitly warned his supporters against aligning with established political parties. “If you stay on the side of political parties, it will ruin the future of your children,” he cautioned. He expressed immense satisfaction that the Maratha community is no longer looking toward traditional politicians for salvation but is instead carving its own path out of the crisis. “I am happy that the Maratha society has changed. We don’t have rupees, which is why the moneyed politicians don’t come to us. But we are finding our own way out.”


As the May 30 deadline looms, the state government finds itself backed into a corner. Manoj Jarange Patil’s uncompromising stance at Antarwali Sarati today signals that the upcoming agitation will be intense and deeply disruptive if the state machinery fails to act swiftly. For the government, the clock is ticking, and the threat of a paralyzed administrative apparatus is now more real than ever.


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