After facing heavy flak from the Opposition for not stepping out, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday began his two-day tour to flood-hit areas across the state and take stock of the ground situation. Thackeray started his visit with Solapur district and then will head to Osmanabad district on Wednesday, October 21. Cabinet minister Balasaheb Thorat, Agriculture minister Dadaji Bhuse, Guardian minister Dattatray Bharne, and Member of Parliament (MP) Jaysiddheshwar Mahaswami accompanied the chief minister on his visit.
After reviewing the damage in Solapur’s Sangvi village, he assured all help to the locals and said that the state government will take care of the situation. “The government will stand strongly behind all of you. I have come to tell you that we will take care of you. You all stay safe. The government will help you,” he assured the flood-affected people.
He also reviewed the damage done to crops due to heavy rainfall across the state for the past few days. “The Prime Minister had called me. We spoke about the situation here. There is nothing wrong in seeking help from the Centre, if needed,” he told reporters.
The chief minister distributed cheques to a few farmers who were in dire situation due to floods. Some villagers in Akkalkot’s Sanghvi Budruk, however, expressed their displeasure after Thackeray’s convoy passed through the bridge without interacting with the villagers there.
Meanwhile, the chief minister spoke to some locals en-route to the village informed them that the meteorological department (MeT) had predicted heavy rainfall in the state till Friday, October 23, and appealed to the people to stay safe.
The chief minister’s visit comes amid growing discontent among farmers in several parts of the state after untimely heavy rains destroyed standing crops leading to distress among the farmers.
Thackeray had been facing heavy criticism from the opposition for not leaving Mumbai to review the Covid-19 situation in the state. The opposition parties egged on him, with BJP leader Raosaheb Danve asking if only the chief minister would be affected by Covid-19 if he left his home.
NCP leader Sharad Pawar also hit out at the Shiv Sena leader, asking him to stop conducting meetings online and to physically visit establishments. He also suggested Thackeray to start travelling across the state in order to take review of the ground situation.
Source: News18