Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has demanded an immediate halt to the cutting of around 45,000 mangroves in Mumbai, raising serious environmental concerns and allegations of fraud.
Speaking to reporters, Thackeray alleged that claims made by the Forest Department regarding large-scale tree transplantation are "bogus," citing reports by organisations and media investigations.
"I demand an immediate halt to the cutting of approximately 45,000 mangroves (Maharashtra legislative assembly)... The Forest Department claims that they transplant 13 lakh trees. However, investigations by certain organisations and media have called these claims bogus..Instead, old mangroves are being cut down to make way for new ones, falsely presenting them as new plantations. This should be stopped, and Mumbai's environment should be protected," he said.
On BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's 'tapori' remark on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Thackeray chose not to engage, saying he does not wish to respond.
"There is a certain standard to the country's politics, and as for the person who compared Maharashtra and Mumbai to PoK, I do not consider it necessary to respond to such individuals," he added.
Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged behaviour with other parliamentarians, accusing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha of "heckling" those giving interviews.
Speaking with ANI, Ranaut said, "We, the women, get very uncomfortable seeing the way he (Rahul Gandhi) conducts himself. He walks in like a 'tapori' and heckles those giving interviews. He should see the conduct and behaviour of his sister, which is very good. Rahul Gandhi himself is a shame.
"Her remarks come after 84 former bureaucrats, 116 veterans and four lawyers wrote an open letter, asking Rahul Gandhi to apologise over the incident of him having tea and biscuits at the Makar Dwar entrance to Parliament.
Led by the former Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid, the signatories stated that the March 12 incident was "deeply concerning" and reflected "conscious disregard for parliamentary authority."
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