Mumbai : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raju Patil has sharply criticized Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde for not delivering on a key promise of allocating ₹6,500 crore for the development of 14 villages merged into the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).
In a scathing tweet, Patil accused the state government of betraying the Agri community, which had overwhelmingly supported Shinde’s faction in recent elections. The 14 villages were re-included in the NMMC limits in 2022 after previously being excluded due to political decisions — a move Patil claims to have spearheaded during his tenure as an MLA.
At the time, Eknath Shinde had publicly pledged to release the funds over a 5–6 year period to build essential infrastructure in these areas. However, according to Patil, no allocation has been made so far.
Escalating the matter, Patil also highlighted that senior minister and Navi Mumbai political heavyweight Ganesh Naik is now opposing the villages’ inclusion in NMMC without the promised funds, a stance Patil supports. “Why should Navi Mumbai citizens bear the extra financial burden?” he questioned.
Patil also criticized Shinde for his silence on the matter, despite having used the issue prominently while campaigning for his son during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. “Is this how you repay the Agri community that backed you?” he asked.
Citing a recent Bombay High Court remark on the Thane Ghodbunder Road and tunnel project — where Megha Engineering’s bid was ₹3,000 crore below the expected cost — Patil urged the government to use the surplus funds for the long-pending village development.
“If you don’t honor your word, your repeated claims of standing with the ‘Bhumiputra’ will be exposed as mere hollow rhetoric,” he warned.
