Aaditya to head Maha panel for Padma awards

Maharashtra government’s decision to anoint Aaditya Thackeray as the head of the panel to recommend Padma awards has kicked off a controversy in the state. The BJP has opposed the move saying Aaditya is inexperienced and ineligible for the position.

“It is not correct to form the Padma awards committee under the leadership of Aaditya despite having several experienced and senior ministers in the state cabinet. The decision has been taken in a haste. Aaditya is too inexperienced to head the committee for such prestigious awards,” said senior BJP leader Pravin Darekar, who is also the leader of opposition in the State Legislative Council.

Referring apparently to the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Mr Darekar also said that Aaditya’s name has surfaced in a court case. “Aaditya Thackeray has been mentioned by one of the lawyers in the Supreme Court, so it will not be proper to allow him to lead this committee,” he said. However, Aaditya has claimed that he is not linked to the death of the Bollywood actor, calling the allegations ‘dirty politics.’

Aaditya is the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. He is also a protocol and environment minister.

The other members of the committee are Industries Minister Subhash Desai, Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar, Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant, Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde, Minister of State for Industries Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Forests Dattatraya Bharne.