Mumbai: An editorial in the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Shiv Sena-run newspaper ‘Saamana’ has raised eyebrows after it lauded Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for his work in developing Naxal-hit Gadchiroli.
The UBT mouthpiece, in its editorial, applauded Fadnavis for spending the New Year in Gadchiroli where he inaugurated several projects worth ₹6,200 crore and also saw the surrender of 11 Naxalites that included Vimla Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka. “If the current chief minister wants to give Gadchiroli a new identity of ‘steel city’ from that of a Naxalite district, then he should be welcomed…When the whole country was busy celebrating the New Year, the chief minister chose to focus on the Naxal-infected Gadchiroli, he did not just spend but also laid the foundation stone of several projects. This when other cabinet ministers in his government are busy trying to get lucrative portfolios,” said the editorial. It added, “Deva bhau needs to show that the steps for Gadchiroli’s development are for poor tribals and the common people, and not for any mining baron. If the chief minister’s plans for Gadchiroli come true, then not just for Gadchiroli but it would be beneficial for the entire Maharashtra.”
The ‘Saamna’ editorial has caused quite a stir as the UBT Sena had been launching a no-holds barred attacks on Fadnavis since 2019.
