New Delhi: In a fiery press conference on Sunday, Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), criticised the ruling Mahayuti coalition government of Maharashtra for allegedly deceiving women with its Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin income support scheme.
Pawar expressed concerns over the lack of clarity regarding the budgeting and financial provisions necessary for the scheme’s sustainability. “While we do not oppose the initiative itself, the Mahayuti government needs to establish clear and separate financial provisions to support this scheme,” Pawar stated, emphasising that transparency is crucial for any welfare program.
The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme has been a contentious issue since its launch in August. The government touts it as a significant achievement. Still, the opposition, comprising Pawar’s faction of NCP, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and the Congress under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) banner, has raised alarms about the state’s financial capability to fund such an ambitious initiative. The Maharashtra government allocated ₹46,000 crore for the scheme in its state budget this past July. “Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme was cheating,” Pawar said.
During the press conference, the MVA released a “White Paper” outlining what they claim is the current administration’s failures in addressing critical issues, including women’s safety, farmer distress, and the deterioration of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Uddhav Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), joined the fray on October 8, accusing the state government of fabricating narratives through advertisements in anticipation of upcoming assembly elections. He criticised the income support scheme, suggesting it attempts to manipulate public sentiment by using taxpayers’ money.
In response to the growing dissent, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged women to be cautious of “step-brothers” attempting to undermine welfare initiatives. He noted that the government is preemptively crediting funds for the “Ladki Bahin” scheme ahead of the Bhau Beej festival in November, anticipating the imposition of election codes.
Thackeray also challenged the Mahayuti alliance to declare their Chief Ministerial candidate, insisting that they should announce their CM face first before the opposition reveals theirs. “Let Mahayuti announce their CM face first; then we will disclose ours,” he asserted.
