Mumbai’s Shiv Sena (UBT), led by Uddhav Thackeray, has fired sharp criticism at Bihar’s new Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana scheme. The party calls it a blatant voter bribery tactic by the BJP to win over women voters ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.
In a fiery editorial published in their newspaper Saamana, the Thackeray faction blasts the BJP for depositing Rs 10,000 into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women across Bihar. That adds up to a whopping Rs 7,500 crore from public funds. They argue this move reeks of using money to influence votes, and it’s time every Indian speaks out against it.
The editorial points fingers at the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Supreme Court, accusing both of ignoring these shady practices. “This voter buying spree undermines election transparency and turns democracy into a joke,” it states. Shiv Sena (UBT) even labels the ECI as “shameless” for allegedly acting like a BJP arm while holding constitutional power.
The party ties this to broader political drama. They say the BJP-Nitish Kumar alliance felt sure of victory until Rahul Gandhi called out vote rigging in states like Haryana and Maharashtra. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is allegedly dipping into the government treasury to buy loyalty, especially from women in Bihar.
Out of over 1.11 crore women who applied for the scheme, officials approved aid for 75 lakh. Shiv Sena (UBT) slams it as an economic crime funded by taxpayers’ money. The scheme promises to help women start small industries or businesses in rural areas, but critics question how Rs 10,000 can spark real job opportunities there.
With Bihar polls just two months away, the transfers happened right before the election announcement. The editorial urges the ECI to crack down, warning that such government handouts have become routine under BJP rule. Modi preaches self-reliance to Indians, yet these moves only weaken people, it claims.
Shiv Sena (UBT) draws parallels to Maharashtra, where the BJP and allies rolled out the Ladki Bahin Yojana before state elections. That program funneled Rs 1,500 monthly to women, costing Rs 45,000 crore and draining the treasury. As a result, flood-hit farmers in Marathwada still wait for aid, while the finance minister defends the spending without addressing their needs.
In Bihar, the party alleges, the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana targets about one crore women to secure BJP votes. “This is straight-up looting of public money and an economic offense by the Prime Minister,” the editorial concludes.
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