Unfazed by the seizure of Rs1 crore in cash from his convoy in Amravati on Saturday, state chief minister (CM) Prithviraj Chavan continued his attack on the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance on Monday, blaming corruption for the poor condition of roads and inadequate water supply in the city.
Speaking to the media and students on Monday at KC College, Chavan said that his party had already cleared its stand about the cash. “It was the party fund that was being sent for the election campaign.”
Meanwhile, Chavan repeated his previous allegations of huge corruption in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
“The BMC has an annual budget of Rs21,000 crore. But the alliance has miserably failed to deliver in the last five years. Roads and water problems have only increased. They are answerable for the Rs1 lakh crore spent in this tenure,” said Chavan, and added later that this statement did not imply that the money was used for ‘terror’.
Chavan visited KC College to meet students of 15 colleges, especially first-time voters, to encourage them to vote. The event was organised by the National Students Union of India (NSUI).
Union minister of state for IT and communication, Milind Deora and NSUI state chief Suraj Thakur also accompanied the CM.
Chavan was tactful about encouraging college students to vote for the Congress. He said, “If not the Congress, please give your valuable vote to the best candidate available. Coalition politics slow us down. But this is the only way to work now.”
On being asked by a student what they should do if they find none of the candidates deserving, Chavan said, “Until the election commission allows the ‘none of the above’ option, please give your vote to the best available candidate rather than not voting at all.” He also urged students to join the Youth Congress and NSUI to become an active part of the political system.
To appease the youth, CM Chavan also promised to increase the number of government colleges in the city to help students avert the dreaded donation system.
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