Resign and Face elections; Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray tells Shinde camp

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has dared the rebel MLAs who have joined the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to resign and face elections the PTI reportedSpeaking at an event Aaditya hinted that housing quality education healthcare roads and public transport will be the focus areas of Shiv Sena in the upcoming elections to the Mumbai civic bodyWhy did you backstab us when we gave you everything and why have you not resigned yet to face elections as it happens in a democracy the former state minister asked while speaking at a TV channels conclave on Saturday night according to the PTIThe Worli MLA dismissed claims by the dissidents that he and his father Uddhav Thackeray who was the chief minister in the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government remained inaccessible He also denied that Shiv Senas succession plan was meant to favour himI have always been around I was allotted the portfolios Environment and Tourism that no one opts for otherwise But when you have ambitions and pressure that cant be spoken of you jump the ship he saidAlso Read Mumbai Workers of rival Sena factions clash FIRs against both sides 5 heldThe rebellion by Shinde and 39 of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the tripartite MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this yearThey rebels shifted the goalpost left right and centre They blamed our allies NCP and Congress for ruining their political fortunes They spoke about Hindutva Tomorrow they may blame me for wearing a blue shirt every single day Aaditya saidHe challenged the Shinde camp and the Bharatiya Janat Party BJP which is part of the Eknath ShindeDevendra Fadnavis government to face elections immediatelyLets face the BMC election now no problem Resign and face elections We will accept the public mandate Mumbaikars know what we have done for the city during the Covid19 pandemic he saidThe BJP has launched an aggressive campaign for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Council BMC elections against the Shiv Sena which has been ruling the civic body for over two decadesListing the works done by the then Uddhav Thackeray government Aaditya said The Hindmata region and Gandhi market area in Mumbai did not flood this year in monsoon due to the rainwater harvesting and percolation pits created by us This is a proud moment for the BMC as wellHe said Mumbais progress rate must not be compared with Shanghai or SingaporeSpeaking about the main issues in Mumbai he said iquest Cities are growth centres and it is up to us to promote the ease of living and define what urbanism is I think our main focus areas would be housing quality education healthcare roads and public transportiquestAaditya also spoke about how Shiv Sena tackled civic issues when in powerI used to hold meetings every week with 16 different agencies for the betterment of schools parks and the coastal road In my opinion either make a single authority for Mumbai or simply just get together and take swift action he addedSpeaking about Shiv Senas opposition to the construction of the metro car shed in Mumbais green lung Aarey Colony Aaditya said the issue is not just about a particular land or treesIt is a living breathing forest We only stopped the work at Aarey There are some faults with that line Rs 10000 crore escalation in cost was assessed before December 2019 the MVA government came to power in November 2019 he saidDeputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had alleged the previous MVA governments move to stop work at the Aarey Colony had led to the escalation of costReversing the previous governments decision to shift the metro car shed to suburban Kanjurmarg and restoring it to the Aarey Colony was one of the first decisions taken by the new governmentwith PTI inputs