Continuing his tirade against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray lamented that the Sena could not get power on its own in the October 2014 Assembly elections. Addressing a meeting during his tour of drought-hit Jalgaon region, he asked the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state to focus on ground level issues plaguing the people. He added that in order to avoid political instability in the state, the Sena should set aside its ego and join the government.
Referring to the recent suicide of a 16-year-old college going girl Swati Pitale from Latur for want of money for her ST pass, he said that it was a matter of shame that families in the state do not have enough money to educate its girls. He said that after he came to know of the tragic suicide of Swati Pitale, he immediately called up Sena’s minister for public transport Diwakar Raote to find a solution to the problem. It was due to Raote’s efforts that Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation decided to waive the fee completely for students of first-year junior college and above in the eight drought-affected districts of Marathwada. Around 4.6 lakh students are benefiting from this scheme, he added.
Mr Thackeray remarked that the government before focusing on the smart city project should first focus on solving problems of drinking water and address problems of basic survival faced by women in villages. He further stated that the Sena is now focusing on improving the conditions of farmers in the state and that it will live up to the aspirations of the people.
