Rs 50 crore ‘culture’ in Maha not just political taunt, needs to be probed: Raj Thackeray

Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday claimed that the “Rs 50 crore culture”, which has become a central theme in Maharashtra politics since the Shiv Sena split, is not just a political taunt but a serious financial allegation.

He said that if 40 MLAs each received Rs 50 crore at the time of the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, the total sum is Rs 2,000 crore.

Raj Thackeray said, “Where did this money come from? Whose money is it?”

In a joint interview with cousin and Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray in Saamana, Raj Thackeray accused the Mahayuti government of using investigative agencies selectively.

He challenged the ruling dispensation to explain how individuals they previously labelled as “corrupt” are now sitting beside them in the cabinet.

In a poetic but biting critique of those who left the “original Shiv Sena”, Raj compared them to falcons, saying, “They are birds that sit on a hunter’s (Delhi’s) hand. They don’t hunt for themselves; they hunt their own people (the Marathi people) to please their master. This was a direct jab at the Eknath Shinde faction for ‘destroying’ the party founded by Bal Thackeray.”

Commenting on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray said he is a “basvilela manus” (a man who has been “set up” or “installed”).

He argued that CM Fadnavis is no longer an independent leader but a representative of “Delhi’s” interests.

He said, “A man who is set up or installed by others can only follow the orders of his masters (Delhi).”

Raj Thackeray mocked CM Fadnavis for his past aggressive stances, specifically referencing when the latter claimed to have “a bullock cart full of evidence” against NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

He noted the irony that Ajit Pawar is now in the Fadnavis cabinet, saying, “If you had the evidence, why haven’t you produced it? Why is it only ‘in court’ now?”

Raj Thackeray returned to his core ideology of “Marathi Asmita” (Marathi Identity), expressing grave concern over the changing demographics of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

He claimed that every day, 56 trains full of people arrive in Maharashtra from North India, but they return empty. He argued that this is not organic migration but a systematic “population dump” to dilute the Marathi vote bank.

He warned that North Indians are now openly declaring that the Mayor of Mumbai will be a North Indian. He claimed this is a deliberate strategy to create new constituencies and eventually separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.

He pointed out that Thane district now has eight to nine municipal corporations solely because of the uncontrolled population explosion, which he believes is breaking the back of the state’s resources and infrastructure.

Raj Thackeray framed the 2026 municipal elections not as a political contest, but as a “last stand” for the Marathi people. His alliance with Uddhav, he explained, was a necessity because “if we don’t unite now, there will be no Maharashtra left to save.”

IANS