Shinde asserts himself on home turf, says he accelerated development as former CM

Thane, Nov 10 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Monday recalled his stint as a chief minister who had "removed all speed breakers" on development, indicating his resolve to guard the home turf of Thane amid an assertive bid by the BJP to expand its footprint.

The assertion comes against the backdrop of the BJP’s decision to appoint Forest Minister and Shinde's bete noire Ganesh Naik as the election in-charge of seven organisational districts in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Thane, for the upcoming local body polls.

Addressing a large gathering in Thane while inducting new members into the Shiv Sena from various regions of Maharashtra, Shinde urged people to stand up against any authority, including government agencies like the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and MHADA, if they face mistreatment.

"Solve the problems of the people. Wherever injustice is happening, we will not tolerate it. Shiv Sena stands firmly behind you. We will not allow the trust with which you have come to be broken," he said, asking Shiv Sainiks to reach out to people to resolve their issues.

In a dig at the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, Shinde said the “speed breaker” government is gone and the engine of development is speeding up.

"When the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power, speed breakers were put on the path of development. After I became the Chief Minister, I removed all those obstacles and accelerated development," he added.

Shinde asserted that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is focused on "development and progress in all sectors." "Mahayuti's saffron flag will fly high over every municipality, Zilla Parishad, municipal council, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)", he added.

Shinde referred to the flagship Ladki Bahin scheme for women and other welfare measures initiated by the state government.

The scheme, which provides the monthly stipend of Rs 1,500 to eligible women, was launched ahead of the assembly elections last year when Shinde was chief minister.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he said: "We keep our promises, we do not make excuses for printing mistakes".

Shinde alleged the MVA bloc has no real issues and resorted to making "false allegations." Several office-bearers and workers of Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and various community organisations from 16 divisions in Maharashtra joined the Shiv Sena on Monday in Shinde's presence. PTI COR NSK