Congress's Atul Londhe accuses BJP leaders of lavish garba spending amid drought in Maharashtra

Congress senior spokesperson Atul Londhe has alleged that BJP leaders are squandering around Rs 100 crore on flashy events while the state faces drought. He asked whether Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would show the courage to take the resignations of such insensitive leaders.

According to Londhe, the state is facing a drought worse than that of 1972, which has hit 305 tehsils. He said farmers and ordinary people are in distress. There is inflation on one side, and on the other there is no drinking water, no fodder for animals and no money to pay children's school and college fees. Dussehra and Diwali are near, yet people do not have money in hand to celebrate the festivals.

Speaking at a press conference in Nagpur, Londhe said Navratri is under way and the goddess is being worshipped, but given the present conditions the festival can be celebrated simply. He alleged that while the public is urged to economise, BJP leaders are spending crores of rupees on garba in the name of celebration. He named BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, minister Ashish Shelar, MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar, former MP Gopal Shetty, MLA Sanjay Upadhyay and MLA Vinod Shelar, and said all of them had spent lavishly on garba. Londhe called it a cruel joke on farmers scorched by drought and a perverse act that rubs salt in their wounds.

On the Dombivli event, Londhe said Chavan has organised the Namo Namo Navratri Utsav there. A large air-conditioned pavilion has been built for garba at the Sant Savlaram Maharaj Krida Sankul, with big chandeliers and electric decorations. Large entrance gates, LED screens and LED lights have also been put up. According to Londhe, lakhs of rupees have been squandered on this. He said 10,000 to 15,000 people attend every day. A 7,000 sq ft indoor platform and a 20,000 ft outdoor platform have been built for it, costing Rs 60 lakh.

Londhe gave further details of the spending. According to him, the pavilion has a 2,000-tonne air conditioner, rented at Rs 60 lakh a day. Sound and lights cost Rs 25 lakh a day, and the pavilion has 25 generator sets rented at Rs 6.5 lakh a day. He said well-known Gujarati folk singers and dancers have been brought in for crores of rupees. Noted singers such as Nilesh Gadhvi charge Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore for Navratri. Kavita Ram, Sagar Kendurkar, Madhavi Shrivastava and Anshika Chonkar are also performing, and these artistes charge Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh a day. A symphony band is also accompanying the singers. According to Londhe, a total of Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore has been spent on music and singers, the organisers are spending Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh a day on floral decorations, and Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore a day is being spent by Ravindra Chavan. He said the total budget is around Rs 18 crore to Rs 20 crore.

Londhe said it is not just Chavan: minister Ashish Shelar and BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar have also organised garba, and crores of rupees are being spent on these every day. He said Chief Minister Fadnavis had appealed for festivals to be celebrated simply in view of the drought, but BJP state president Ravindra Chavan and the ministers and MLAs have ignored that appeal. Londhe also said that the same government that announces aid of only Rs 5,000 for drought-hit farmers has BJP ministers and MLAs squandering Rs 10 crore to Rs 15 crore a day on Navratri and garba. The demand for resignations, raised in the headline, also came from him, and refers to the resignations of Shelar and Chavan.

Meanwhile, a pillar-worship ceremony for a grand mahanatya (epic stage drama) called Pratap Purandar was held with pomp on Beed Bypass in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Many leaders were present, including guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, minister Atul Save and former minister Bhagwat Karad. The question being raised is that while the new generation should understand the history of Shivaji, why a grand event costing crores is needed during a drought. With the heat of drought severe in Marathwada, the question being asked is whether leaders should not have social awareness.