MNS chief raises Mumbai traffic woes, sparks political buzz
Mumbai: A day after Thackeray cousins faced a humiliating defeat in the BEST Employees’ Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, MNS chief Raj Thackeray raised eyebrows by meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, triggering speculations about his next move in Maharashtra politics.
Raj, accompanied by his close aide and former minister Bala Nandgaonkar, drove to ‘Varsha’, the official residence of the CM at Malabar Hill, and met Fadnavis for close to 45 minutes.
Later, the MNS chief clarified that he raised issues of town planning, traffic chaos and the state of Mumbai’s roads with the Chief Minister.
“Today, I and my colleagues met the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the topic of the traffic problem that has arisen in all the cities of the state, including Mumbai. Cities are growing, new projects are coming up, the influx of people into cities is not stopping. On top of that, the number of cars is increasing again, but we do not have enough roads or parking (spaces),” Raj said in his post on X.
He further stated, “We are stuck on issues like pigeons and elephants, but we are not paying attention to problems like parking. Traffic congestion is the most serious issue, and there is a need to look at it with open eyes and implement long-term solutions. What should those solutions be? Public participation is also necessary in this. But what if people themselves break traffic and parking rules? Strict action must be taken.”
The MNS chief also said that he made some suggestions to the government regarding all this and Fadnavis responded positively to them.
The visit came a day after a joint panel led by Thackeray brothers received a severe drubbing in the election for the BEST Employees’ Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, as it could not win even a single seat. In the 21-member BEST credit society, the panel led by trade union leader Shashank Rao emerged victorious with a clear majority by winning 14 seats, while a BJP legislator Prasad Lad-backed panel finished second by securing seven seats.
However, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that there is nothing amiss in the meeting of Raj Thackeray and Fadnavis. “Why are you worried,” he asked and added, “As an opposition leader, he can meet the chief minister, who is the head of the government…there are issues of Maharashtra…in the past also he had met the chief minister.”
The meeting was also played down by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who suggested it was more of a courtesy call. “This is a part of Maharashtra's tradition and culture... in which people meet with prominent leaders. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting,” Pawar said.
