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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray's scathing remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have triggered a fresh political storm, now spilling onto the streets of Pune. In retaliation, the rival faction, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has launched a poster campaign across the city, targeting Aaditya Thackeray personally and politically.
The posters, displayed at key junctions and public areas in Pune put out by Shivsena Pune City Chief Pramod (Nana) Bhangire, depict Aaditya as a cartoon character. One of the posters reads: "This battery will soon get drained... it runs on nepotism." Another takes a jibe at the ongoing investigation into the Mithi River Development Scam, stating: "Just keep counting... see how many will land in jail." This comes just days after Aaditya Thackeray publicly lashed out at Eknath Shinde in the Maharashtra Assembly and in media interactions. Without directly naming Shinde, Thackeray had called him a "traitor," "thankless," and "shameless" person who betrayed former CM Uddhav Thackeray despite being handed the powerful Urban Development portfolio. The remarks came amid heightened tensions during the ongoing monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature, where opposition leader Bhaskar Jadhav had also accused Speaker Rahul Narwekar of bias and suppressing voices of the opposition during a debate session, which was raised under Rule 293 by Bhaskar Jadhav . The public display of political rivalry via posters suggests that the battle between the Shiv Sena factions is not just confined to the assembly but is now being waged openly on the streets, ahead of the upcoming civic body elections and crucial political alignments. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government's move to rename Islampur as Ishwarpur has come in for criticism from the opposition benches. Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh criticised the Government's decision saying that the focus should be on improving basic facilities like water, roads and public spaces. "Rename Islampur as Ishwarpur, do everything but besides this, also work for the welfare of the city. There is no proper drinking water facility or roads there. There are no gardens and playgrounds there. People are living in increasingly worse conditions. So, how long will you fool people like this?" he said. Reacting to this, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve said, "This government is only interested in creating casteism and conflicts." Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Jayant Patil also claimed that there were very few people behind the demand to rename Islampur as Ishwarpur. "There were very few people who had been demanding this change for some years. This does not mean the locals wanted this, too," Patil said. Leaders from the Mahayuti government defended the decision. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis maintained that the name change was a response to a long-standing public demand. (ANI)
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