Poll time: Sena-BJP Twitter war rages

As the Municipal Corporation for Greater Mumbai (MCGM) elections are just around corner, the social media war of words between allies Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) refused to die down and continued on Friday.

Sena cub Aaditya Thackeray attacked the BJP over the move of awarding road contracts to blacklisted contractors in Nagpur city. The Sena’s youth wing president tweeted, “Mumbai mein mafia, Nagpur mein Maaf-kiya”.

Contractors blacklisted by MCGM were getting road contracts in Nagpur, the youth leader said.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had sent out strong signals that the party was likely to contest the MCGM polls alone in February 2017.

Earlier, BJP Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya had hit out at the Sena and called the party’s rule in MCGM a “mafia raj”.

The MCGM had blacklisted six road contractors involved in the Rs352-crore road scam. The action was taken following an order from the Bombay High Court. The blacklisted contractors — M/s Relcon, M/s RK Madhani, M/s Mahavir Road Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, M/s J Kumar, M/s RPS and M/s K R Construction — have got contracts in Nagpur. Aaditya revealed that these six blacklisted contractors have got contracts from none other than the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, which is ruled by the BJP.

Despite the involvement of RPS Infrastructure in a road scam, the company has bagged a contract worth Rs34 crore in Nagpur, from where Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hails.

Somaiya responded to Thackeray’s tweets and wrote a letter to civic chief Ajoy Mehta on Friday, stating “Mafia Mukt Mumbai MCGM should release further investigation reports on all mafia – dumping, road, nullah, scrap, water, tanker, potholes, octroi, tablets and school benches.”

Somaiya further stated, “In last one year, four Special Investigation Teams set up by the chief minister and civic chief have exposed these mafia. Many contractors and civic officials were involved in criminal cases.”

Mumbai mein mafia, Nagpur mein maaf kiya – Aaditya Thackeray

BL SONI Visually challenged students of Kamala Mehta School light up diyas and celebrate a crackerless Diwali on the premises of the school in Dadar on Friday.