Uproar in House as Sena (UBT) comes down heavily on Shinde for ‘corruption in BMC' remark
Replying to a debate under Rule 293 on urban development and housing, Shinde — who also holds the urban development portfolio — said the Mahayuti government had accelerated stalled redevelopment projects in Mumbai and promised that the 'Marathi manoos' who had left the city due to lack of affordable housing would now return. He announced the clearance of 21 cluster redevelopment schemes and assured completion of several long-pending projects in partnership with state-run utilities.
Referring to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), Shinde rejected criticism about private control being given to Adani group, saying the state government was actively involved through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and dismissed claims that the Adani Group had been handed the project without safeguards.
He also announced an online portal for pothole-related complaints and incentives for redevelopment in airport funnel zones.
However, his sharp remarks accusing the previous BMC administration — controlled by Uddhav Thackeray's Sena — of large-scale irregularities triggered a furore from the Opposition benches.
After Shinde's speech, Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav rose to respond but was denied the opportunity by Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who maintained that only Aaditya Thackeray, who had initiated the debate, could exercise the right to reply — and he was not present in the House at the time.
The decision led to loud protests from the Opposition, with Sena (UBT) members accusing the Speaker of bias and siding with the ruling alliance. Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
When proceedings resumed, Cabinet Minister Shambhuraj Desai (Shiv Sena) and Shinde objected to the alleged gestures made by Jadhav and Thackeray towards the Chair. Shinde also accused Jadhav of daring the Speaker to suspend him — calling it 'unacceptable conduct.'
Ajay Chaudhari, leader of the Sena (UBT) in the Assembly, defended his colleague, arguing that the right to reply was not restricted to a single member and that Thackeray had momentarily stepped out due to official commitments.
Outside the House, Jadhav accused the Speaker of acting like a government functionary. 'The Speaker has abandoned neutrality. He denied the Opposition the basic right to reply. Shinde's speech was full of falsehood, and we were not allowed to counter it,' he said, alleging that several critical issues, including civic concerns in Thane and other cities, education, anganwadis, and water supply, were ignored in Shinde's response.
Outside the house, Aaditya Thackeray further criticised Shinde and challenged him for a one-hour public debate on the working of the urban development department. 'I will ask pointed questions, and I expect straight answers,' he told reporters, calling Shinde 'ungrateful and shameless,' and accusing him of betraying the very party that gave him political space and position.
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