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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 4:59:11 pm

Fadnavis reins in Sena’s Marathi push

AI generated image Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra is witnessing a delicate political balancing act, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis increasingly overriding key decisions of alliance partners, particularly the Shiv Sena, while simultaneously attempting to placate them on other fronts. The tension within the alliance came to the fore on Thursday when Fadnavis stepped in to dilute a controversial mandate enforced by Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, which...

Fadnavis reins in Sena’s Marathi push

AI generated image Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra is witnessing a delicate political balancing act, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis increasingly overriding key decisions of alliance partners, particularly the Shiv Sena, while simultaneously attempting to placate them on other fronts. The tension within the alliance came to the fore on Thursday when Fadnavis stepped in to dilute a controversial mandate enforced by Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, which required auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in Mumbai to possess basic Marathi language proficiency. The Transport Department’s enforcement drive, which threatened non-Marathi-speaking drivers with suspension or cancellation of their licences, sparked outrage among North Indian drivers who form a sizeable section of the public transport workforce in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Protests brought parts of Mumbai, including Kandivali and Malad, to a standstill. Recognising the potential electoral fallout, Fadnavis intervened, saying drivers need not be “experts” in Marathi. He also extended the grace period for drivers to acquire a working knowledge of the language to one year, effectively diluting Sarnaik’s hardline stance. Fadnavis announced the decision after a delegation of transport operators met him. The episode highlights the conflicting political compulsions of the Mahayuti partners. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is keen to pursue a pro-Marathi, “sons of the soil” agenda to consolidate its traditional voter base and counter the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP, however, relies heavily on North Indian and migrant voters in the MMR, particularly as crucial civic and state elections approach. Any aggressive regional policy that alienates this constituency could have electoral consequences for the party. The Marathi language issue is not an isolated instance of Fadnavis stepping in to override decisions associated with the Shiv Sena. It fits into a broader pattern of the chief minister’s administration reviewing or reversing several initiatives of the previous government headed by Shinde. In April 2026, the BJP-led Environment Department, headed by Minister Pankaja Munde, scrapped 14 lake conservation projects, 11 of which had been cleared during Shinde’s tenure, and ordered recovery of more than Rs 73 crore. The Fadnavis government has also modified several initiatives introduced by the previous regime. In January 2025, it altered Shinde’s three-course school meal plan, placing the responsibility on local school management committees to raise funds for sweet dishes. In April 2025, the government scrapped the ‘One State, One Uniform’ policy for schools. A Rs 3,200-crore tender for mechanised housekeeping services at government hospitals, issued under the Shinde government, was also stayed. Yet, Fadnavis remains conscious of the need to preserve the fragile alliance. To manage growing resentment within the Sena, he has adopted what can be described as a ‘blow hot, blow cold’ approach — overriding decisions when they clash with the BJP’s broader political interests while offering political concessions on other fronts. One such move was the recent appointment of Shiv Sena leader Bharat Gogawale as Guardian Minister of the politically important Raigad district, ending a 19-month-long tussle over the post. At the same time, the Mahayuti government recently reduced the powers exercised by Guardian Ministers over District Planning Committee (DPC) funds, directing that 70 per cent of the funds be allocated directly to local MLAs. The move is aimed at reducing the concentration of financial powers with individual ministers. As the Mahayuti navigates these competing interests, Fadnavis has also instructed alliance partners to resolve disputes internally and avoid public sparring. However, the latest confrontation over the Marathi language requirement underscores the limits of that arrangement. While Fadnavis continues to use his authority to protect the BJP’s broader electoral interests, the Shiv Sena remains under pressure to assert its regional identity and distinguish itself from the Thackeray faction. With elections approaching, balancing these competing political priorities is likely to remain one of the biggest challenges for the Mahayuti government.

NGO grows mango trees, provides profit to farmers


Mumbai: What started as a small drive to collect money for an old woman’s hospital charges has now turned into a large Non-Governmental Organisation of 300 people named WeGroup, dedicated to serve society in various areas.


Founded by Ashwin Patel in 2013, the NGO is based in Mira Road, the NGO have now taken up a new mission, Mission Mango. Mission Mango is about collecting the leftover seed of eaten mango and then planting it to grow a new tree. As Mango Season is here the NGO is proactive in raising awareness among people.


Mango seed cannot be collected as it is after eating, there is a due process to make the seed suitable for collection. Ronak Mehta, a core-committee member and head volunteer, speaking to ‘The Perfect Voice’, explained the whole process. He said, “After eating wash the mango seed thoroughly, secondly dry it and third-step is to collect it in a cardboard or a plastic free container.” After the whole collection send it to the given address by the NGO.


The NGO has collection points in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.


Post-Collection Process

However, it is not easy to grow a tree out of mango seeds as it sounds. The dried mango seeds are first sent to nurseries of the Department of Agriculture, Maharashtra. At present there are over 42 nurseries of Department of Agriculture in the state. As the group is based in Mumbai the mango seeds are sent to a well-functioning nursery in Vasai-Pelhar region.


The nursery inspects every seed and healthy ones are selected


The methods used are polyhouse farming or polytunnel farming. Polyhouses are special enclosed structure covered in transparent plastic that creates a suitable and controllable environment for high-yield. Polytunnels are arched tunnel-type structures that aid in increasing the growing seasons by four to eight weeks by trapping solar radiation, warming soil and protecting crops.


However, these methods are cost-effective but do require money. The NGO raises this money through donation funds especially through CSR funding.


Two to three seeds are sown together which grow into one mango tree, because one seed does grow into an unhealthy, and unyielding mango tree. This process is called Grafting Method.


These methods result in high-yielding mango trees which are then given to farmers.


Main Objective

For the first year the tree is totally handled by the department and the NGO. After that the tree is given to the farmers and then they are sold into the market.


The tree is handed over to the farmers registered with the Department of Agriculture and falling Below Poverty Line.


“We want to help Below Poverty Line (BPL) farmers, tribal farmers, whose conditions are not that good. Through this initiative we want empower them,” Mehta said.


Through this mission last year, the NGO successfully grew 20,000 trees by collecting 22,750 seeds and provided profit to 5000 farmers.


The Expansion

As more people join this initiative the main problem still remains unsolved. The mango dairies sell a lot of mango juice throughout the mango season. On an average around 10,000 seeds are thrown away daily. But as the seeds are more, they require more man power to wash it and dry it.


“To solve this problem the WeGroup NGO wants to build Mango Seed Processing Units, which are expensive. But it is the secondary goal, the primary goal is to develop the 42 nurseries in the state,” Mehta said.

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