‘ YOU TOOK 1 OF OURS, WE’LL TAKE 50 OF YOUR LEGISLATORS’

Maha Congress chief alleges BJP leaders helped MVA in Nagpur and Amravati; says saffron party’s house will crumble

First India Bureau

Mumbai: After the Maha Vikas Aghadi tripartite coalition claimed three of the five seats up for grabs in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Maharashtra Congress president Patole on Friday claimed that the MVA had help from Bharatiya Janta Party leaders in Vidarbha.

In an obvious bid to add insult to injury to the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance, Patole also claimed that the saffron party’s “house will crumble.”

The Maha Vikas Aghadi won the Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati seats in the biennial elections from teachers and graduates segments. The BJP and independent candidate Satyajeet Tambe won from the Konkan and Nashik graduates con-

The polls have shown the BJP who is king. Be it Amravati or Nagpur division, because of the trouble from BJP leaders (an apparent reference to Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis), many BJP leaders have helped us. You see how their house will crumble.

`1,121 crore for railway projects in Mumbai; 91% more funds for MUTP

First India Bureau

Mumbai: In the Union Budget, Rs1,121.21 crore have been allocated for various Metropolitan Transport Projects (MTPs) in Mumbai with a substantial 91% increase in funds for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).

Out of Rs1,121.21 crore for various MTPs (railway projects) in Mumbai, Rs1,100 crore have been allocated for the MUTP alone. The allotment for MUTP was Rs577 crore last year, railway officials said.

Of the funds allocated for the MUTP in 2023-24, the highest Rs650 crore would go to MUTP phase III, Rs300 crore to phase IIIA and Rs150 crore to phase II as per the Pink Book or the budget document made available on the Railway Board’s website on Friday.

MUTP is one of the ambitious projects un- dertaken for the expansion and capacity augmentation of the city’s suburban train network. stituencies, respectively. “Vidarbha has remained with the Congress. (In the past) we were hit by wrong coordination and planning. This time everyone worked together and fought this war,” he said.

Presently, three projects under the MUTP are at various stages of implementation while the World Bankfunded MUTP-I has been completed. In the last year’s Union Budget, Rs729.55 crore had been allocated for various MTPs in Mumbai and Pune.

This year’s budget allocated Rs20 crore for the Belapur-SeawoodsUran railway line which is expected to be completed this year.

Amravati and Nagpur are both in the Vidarbha region. While the BJP did not field any candidates of its own, the party had backed Nagorao Ganar in Nagpur and had extended last-minute support to Satyajeet Tambe, who was suspended by the Congress after he filed his nomination as an independent.

Patole on Friday told reporters that he still believed that Tambe and his father, Congress veteran Sudhir Tambe had betrayed the party; the latter chose not to file his nomination despite having the party’s mandate.

Apparently blaming the BJP for the Tambes’ “rebellion”, Patole said the BJP’s attempt to break the Congress’ house had “hurt” the party but swore vengeance. “You have taken our one legislator. We plan to win 50 legislators from the Nashik division,” he said.

He also credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra foot march, which passed through Vidarbha, for creating enthusiasm among people for the party.

Sanjay Raut sends legal notice to Rane for ‘baseless allegations’

Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said he has sent a legal notice to Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narayan Rane for making “baseless allegations” against him on public platforms.

Raut said Rane should prove his allegations or else apologize to him.

“Narayan Rane has been making baseless allega-