Naik: Shinde Emptied NMMC Coffers
TLDR: BJP Minister Ganesh Naik accuses CM Shinde of looting the NMMC treasury during his time as minister. Is anyone actually surprised by this accusation?
Ganesh Naik is throwing shade (again). This time, the BJP minister is accusing Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of raiding the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's bank account when he was in charge of the Urban Development portfolio.
Naik, never one to mince words, claims Shinde used his position to divert funds away from planned Navi Mumbai projects. Think infrastructure projects near the Belapur CBD, social schemes in the gaothans, and those gardens in Kharghar that never seem to bloom.
"Where did all the money go?" Naik asked reporters at a press conference near the APMC market. He pointed to stalled construction near the Nerul bridge and the half-finished cycle track around the DY Patil Stadium as examples of Shinde's alleged mismanagement. Naik further suggested there might have been criminal wrong doing and called for a full investigation into NMMC finances during Shinde's tenure. Expect this to get nasty.
Shinde's office hasn't commented yet. But sources inside Mantralaya say they will be releasing a detailed rebuttal within 24 hours. The Record will update as soon as we know what they say.