Amid the political crisis ongoing in the state of Maharahstra, the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced that they have donated Rs 51 lakhs for the flood relief work in Assam. Shinde and dissident Sena 42 MLAs and some independent have been camping in the Radisson Blu hotel in Assam’s Guwahati since the last week.
“Shiv Sena MLAs and allies have decided to contribute Rs 51 lakhs to the Assam CM’s relief fund to help the flood-affected people”, tweeted rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on June 29.
आसाम मधील पूरग्रस्त बांधवांच्या मदतीसाठी शिवसेनेचे सर्व आमदार तसेच सहयोगी आमदारांच्या वतीने आसाम मुख्यमंत्री मदत निधीत 51 लाख रुपयांची मदत करण्याचा निर्णय.#ShivsenaMaharashtraWithAssam
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 29, 2022
Also, rebel leader Deepak Kesarkar spoke about the donation and stated that the plight of people suffering from the floods in Assam cannot be ignored. “Shinde has donated Rs 51 lakh to the Assam Chief Minister’s Relief Fund as our contribution to their ongoing rescue work”, he said.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged the donation made by the Maharashtra MLAs to the CM’s relief fund. “Heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shri @mieknathshinde
ji for contributing ₹51 lakh to CM Relief Fund. The contribution shall go a long way in reaching out to the flood victims and ensuring relief in flood-affected areas of our State,” he tweeted.
Heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shri @mieknathshinde ji for contributing ₹51 lakh to CM Relief Fund.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 29, 2022
The contribution shall go a long way in reaching out to the flood victims and ensuring relief in flood-affected areas of our State.
The CM also tweeted the same in Marathi.
It may be noted that after staying more than a week in Guwahati, the rebel MLAs are returning to Maharashtra today, as the governor has ordered a floor test tomorrow. According to media speculation, they will move to Goa, and will arrive at Mumbai tomorrow morning in time for the assembly session. However, as the Shiv Sena has moved Supreme Court against the governor’s order, if the court stays or refers the voting in confidence motion, the plans of the MLAs also can change. The MLAs today visited the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati to offer prayers before leaving the state.
Deepak Kesarkar also added that the rebel MLAs had decided to shift to a place close to Mumbai after Maharashtra Governor asked the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to face a floor test on June 30. “We will be staying at a place that is one-hour air distance from Mumbai, so that that we can comfortably reach the state capital for the floor test. The decision (of floor test) will be what we have been demanding for a long time from our leadership”, Kesarkar was quoted.
According to the reports, the Shiv Sena rebel MLAs will be staying in a hotel in Goa from where they will reach Mumbai by 9:30 on Thursday. Eknath Shinde meanwhile, also released a series of videos of the MLAs supporting him from Guwahati. The rebel MLAs confessed on the video that they were not forced by anyone to rebel against the MVA government.
शिवसेनेचे रत्नागिरी विधानसभा मतदारसंघाचे आमदार श्री.उदय सामंत यांनी आजही आपण शिवसेनेसोबतच असल्याचे स्पष्ट करत आपण स्वखुशीने हिंदुहृदयसम्राट शिवसेनाप्रमुख बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांच्या मनातील हिंदुत्वाचा विचार पुढे नेणाऱ्या एकनाथ शिंदे यांच्यासोबत गुवाहाटी येथे आलेलो आहोत.#MiShivsainik pic.twitter.com/YnSaohrtDj
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 28, 2022
#संभाजीनगर जिल्ह्यातील #वैजापूर गंगापूर विधानसभा मतदारसंघाचे शिवसेना आमदार प्राध्यापक श्री.रमेश बोरणारे यांचे स्पष्टीकरण खालील प्रमाणे.…#MiShivsainik pic.twitter.com/OwDkqhEEfZ
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 29, 2022
They also reiterated that the ideologies of Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray differed from the ideologies of party supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. The leaders clarified that they were not in touch with any of the other leaders or party office-bearers except Eknath Shinde at present. The rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who have been camping in Guwahati hotel in Assam are expected to leave for Maharashtra to be present in the Assembly tomorrow morning.
#रत्नागिरी जिल्ह्यातील #दापोली विधानसभा मतदारसंघाचे शिवसेनेचे आमदार श्री.योगेश रामदास कदम यांचे स्पष्टीकरण खालील प्रमाणे…@iYogeshRKadam#MiShivsainik pic.twitter.com/k2sdo1o33j
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 28, 2022
Floods in Assam
Massive floods erupted in the state of Assam that affected around 24.92 lakh people from 28 districts. Several people have died in the floods with several other areas remaining submerged. According to the reports, most of the areas in the Silchar town of Cachar have been submerged for more than a week. The number of people who lost their lives in the floods has increased to 139.
Rivers like Brahmaputra, Beki, Kopili, Barak, and Kushiyara are flowing above the danger mark. Meanwhile, various relief centers have been started at several places across the state and medical officers and paramedical staff have been deployed to look after the affected. Health camps have also been set up to prevent the spread of diseases.
Reports by Assam State Disaster Management Authority reveal that a total of 2,389 villages have been affected by the floods and around 1,76,201 people are staying in 555 relief camps. Flood waters have damaged 155 roads and five bridges, while seven embankments have been broken.
