Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday accused the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra of announcing freebies, despite the state facing a debt burden of Rs 8 lakh crore, as a reaction to setbacks suffered by the ruling parties in the Lok Sabha elections.
His comment follows Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's announcement of a job training and stipend scheme for youth, tentatively named 'Ladka Bhau' Yojana. This scheme was revealed just days after the government introduced a monthly financial assistance program for eligible women.
As part of the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme announced in the state budget, married, divorced, and destitute women aged 21-60 will receive Rs 1,500 monthly. The scheme sets an annual family income cap of Rs 2.5 lakh for beneficiaries.
The government copied the Madhya Pradesh government’s (Ladli Behna) scheme to provide women Rs 1,500 per month, while under the Ladka Bhau scheme, men who are Class 12 pass will get Rs 6,000 and unemployed graduates will get Rs 10,000. So why should women get just Rs 1,500..Will they be able to run their houses in this amount? We demand that ladki bahin (beloved sister) should also get Rs 10,000 per month,” he told reporters. “The state already has a debt of Rs 8 lakh crore. This is not a small amount,” he added.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance claimed that the opposition would not secure even 10 parliamentary seats in Maharashtra. However, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 31 seats, Sanjay Raut pointed out.
The BJP's seat count in Maharashtra plummeted from 23 in 2019 to just nine in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Its ally, Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde, secured seven seats, while the NCP, led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, won only one constituency.
In contrast, the opposition MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress, performed impressively, collectively winning 30 out of the 48 seats.