The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Monday attacked the BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over alleged irregularities in the state’s school midday meal scheme and questioned the financing of the ruling party’s youth outreach events.
An editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana highlighted reports that children at a school in Ambegaon in Pune district were served dried peas so hard that they remained uncooked even after 13 whistles in a pressure cooker.
The editorial alleged that the contractor supplying the food was a Nagpur-based businessman with close links to Fadnavis. It further claimed that the businessman had financially supported a recent BJP event aimed at Gen Z voters at Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur.
“Supply contractors eat up millions by serving substandard food to schoolchildren, risking their lives,” the editorial said, adding that the contractor’s “peas of falsehood” would not cook.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate response from the BJP or the contractor.
The editorial was published amid intensified political efforts to reach young voters in Maharashtra. It referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Pune, which attracted thousands of students.
The Sena (UBT) claimed the authorities had initially resisted granting police permission for the programme before allowing it with more than 30 conditions. It also alleged that attempts were made to disrupt the gathering and that police subsequently registered cases against Congress workers.
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