Jain monk Nileshchandra backs Raj Thackeray on Karjat-Bhimashankar tree felling, offers to join agitation

Anger is spreading across Maharashtra over the tree felling under way at Sai Dongar in Karjat-Bhimashankar. Local residents are opposing the felling and are also directly against the government's decision on the Torrent project. After the locals' agitation, environmentalists, nature lovers and political leaders are also joining the protest.

MLA Aaditya Thackeray has already visited Sai Dongar, and MNS chief Raj Thackeray is also due to go there. Against this backdrop, Jain monk Nileshchandra has backed Raj Thackeray's stand.

Opposition to the government is growing over what is happening in the hills of Karjat-Bhimashankar, and some people from the government's own side have also objected. On social media, people are asking where Nilesh Chandramuni, who took to the streets to save pigeons, is now while trees are being cut at Bhimashankar-Karjat.

Responding, the Jain monk said Lord Mahavir's message is "live and let live". He said that if Raj Thackeray is leading an agitation to save the forest or raising the question, he supports him. According to him, Raj Thackeray is himself an animal lover. The monk said the pigeon issue should be set aside, as the campaign Raj Thackeray has now started and the subject he has taken up are different. He appealed to all devotees of Shivaji and to the people of Maharashtra to support Raj Thackeray because he is raising the issue to save animals and trees.

The monk also said that if Raj Thackeray calls him, he is ready to go to Karjat. If Raj Thackeray launches an agitation for animals and birds, he will join it.

The monk clarified that he does not belong to any party, but the Jain community will stand behind whoever saves trees and living beings. He said Maharashtra belongs to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and if Balasaheb's thinking is present in Raj Thackeray, he certainly has his support. To those asking where the Jain monk has gone, he said he himself wishes to join this agitation. According to the monk, whoever is behind these companies, be it Adani, Mangal Prabhat Lodha or any Jain, he will not support them.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party, a constituent of the Mahayuti, has also sided with local residents, environmentalists and farmers and strongly opposed the project in the forest area. A campaign was run again today under the leadership of NCP's Raigad district president Sudhakar Ghare. Ghare asked how such projects were coming up when 90 per cent of the locals had opposed the project at the public hearing.

Monk Nileshchandra, who had criticised Raj Thackeray's stand on the issue of saving pigeons, has also said he is against the tree felling.