Mumbai, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Maharashtra government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging financial irregularities in youth outreach programmes and corruption in the state’s school midday meal scheme.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party criticised the government over the quality of food served to schoolchildren and questioned the sources of funding for BJP events targeting young voters.
The editorial referred to a reported incident in Ambegaon in Pune district, where schoolchildren were allegedly served dried peas that remained hard even after being pressure-cooked for 13 whistles. It alleged that the contractor supplying the food was a Nagpur-based businessman with links to Fadnavis.
The Thackeray-led party further claimed that the businessman had financially supported a recent BJP Gen Z outreach event at Reshimbagh Ground in Nagpur. The editorial accused contractors of profiting from the supply of substandard food to schoolchildren and said the issue warranted scrutiny.
The attack comes amid heightened political competition for Maharashtra’s youth vote. The editorial also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent “Chatron Ki Goonj” interaction in Pune, alleging that authorities imposed several conditions before granting police permission for the event.
The Sena (UBT) claimed that attempts were made to disrupt the programme and accused the police of registering cases against Congress workers instead.
Taking aim at Fadnavis’ criticism of Gandhi’s events as “paid publicity”, the editorial challenged the BJP to disclose and audit the expenditure and funding sources behind its own youth outreach programmes.
The party also accused the state government of failing to address road and pothole-related problems, graduate unemployment and alleged irregularities in public procurement.
The editorial claimed that seven of the 12 people who died after falling into potholes in Nashik were from Gen Z, while alleging a large-scale scam in the procurement and supply of school midday meals.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) said growing dissatisfaction among young people reflected frustration with what it described as repetitive political promises and called on Fadnavis to introspect before ordering investigations into opponents.
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