NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Wednesday said the Maharashtra Government has registered a case against MNS leader Amit Thackeray for removing the Prime Minister’s photograph, but no FIR has been registered yet in connection with the death of then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an air crash. Addressing a press conference here, she also opposed the upcoming or proposed big-ticket projects in Thane such as a Ring Metro and an Amazon Data Centre, citing local residents’ opposition. Sule referred to the First Information Report registered against Amit Thackeray for allegedly removing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph from an office wall at the government polytechnic in Pune.

 

“You register an FIR against him just for taking down a photo from a wall, but such a major plane crash occurred where a sitting Deputy Chief Minister lost his life, and no FIR has been registered yet,” the Baramati MP said. “Why no FIR has been registered regarding my brother’s (her cousin Ajit Pawar) death? We lost a prominent member of our family. The NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) is part of the current government....Have any of their 40 MLAs or eight-nine ministers ever uttered a single word demanding an FIR or a proper investigation into my brother’s death? Our brother is gone, and they are enjoying power,” she said.

 

Speaking about the Amazon Data Center coming up in the city, she said after some local residents approached her, she contacted Thane MP Naresh Mhaske to convey their Opposition. Criticizing the multi-crore Ring Metro project, Sule argued that Thane residents need a good public bus service instead. “Why spend Rs 1,000 to do something that can be achieved in Rs 500 using bus connectivity? This Government loves projects only if they are expensive. They have no funds for the poor, deprived, or victimized, but thousands of crores for costly projects,” she said. Referring to the condition of roads, Sule said travelling anywhere in Maharashtra meant driving through “potholes with roads in them.” The BJP-led Government focuses on expensive big-ticket projects while ignoring basic amenities, the MP alleged. Commenting on the BJP celebrating the latest GDP growth figures, Sule said there were discrepancies between economic experts’ views on the declining economy and official data.