Maha govt, Fadnavis trade barbs on Central aid to fight COVID

MUMBAI: The ongoing war of words between the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government and the BJP escalated on Wednesday with both the sides seeking to rebut each other's claims and counter-claims on the Central help to handle the COVID-19 crisis.

At 56,948 COVID-19 cases and 1,897 deaths, Maharashtra remains worst affected by the Coronavirus pandemic in the country. Shiv Sena leader and Transport Minister Anil Parab also hit back at Railway Minister Piyush Goyal over operating of trains for migrants, saying he had sent them in one go instead of the demand made by the state government to operate them in a staggered manner.

He also dismissed as "false and misleading" senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis' claim that the Centre had given more than Rs 28,000 crore to the state government.

"The state government was supposed to get Rs 42,000 crores from the Union government, but has received no funds so far," he told a press conference which he addressed along with his cabinet colleagues Jayant Patil (NCP) and Balasaheb Thorat (Congress).

However, Fadnavis, a former CM, hit back immediately saying the Centre had not only given 10 lakh PPE kits and 16 lakh N-95 masks but also given Rs 468 crore to the Maharashtra government for purchasing them.

"The Railways started giving out information very late about the trains, which is causing a huge chaos among migrant workers but it is trying to put the blame on the Maharashtra government.”