Reacting to criticism that the Shiv Sena’s opposition to cutting trees for the Metro-3 car shed was lip service, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said they will deal with the “murderers of the trees” after returning to power.
Speaking to reporters at Rangsharda Hotel in Bandra on Saturday, Thackeray said, “Aarey is an important issue. We are not letting go of the issue. Whatever is happening today, whatever was happening yesterday, I’ll take detailed and in-depth information of what the situation is and will speak firmly and directly on the issue. The upcoming government will be ours and once back in power, we will deal with the murderers of the trees.”
Despite controlling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Shiv Sena was unable to stop the tree authority from granting permission to axe 2,185 trees and transplant 461 trees in Aarey Milk Colony for the Metro-3 project. However, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray has opposed decision. After MMRC began cutting trees on Friday night and the police detained protestors, environmentalists slammed the Sena for “playing good cop-bad cop”, as Stalin D of the non-governmental organisation Vanashakti, put it.
On Friday night, Aaditya, who is contesting his first elections from Worli, took to Twitter to voice his opposition. He requested the chief minister’s office to look into the police action against protestors and attacked the MMRCL for hacking the trees “in the cover of the night, with shame, slyness and heavy cop cover.” He also questioned the “use of a large number of police personnel” and “detention of peaceful protesters and citizens”.
“He [Aaditya] has been tweeting on the issue, but the Sena’s environment minister could have stopped the work,” said Stalin. “One of the conditions imposed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on MMRCL was to get permission from the ground water authority because they are going to use around 50,000 litres of ground water. That permission has not been obtained till date. The ministry is with the Sena, he [Aaditya] could have stopped it.”
Opposition parties have also criticised the Shiv Sena. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who visited the site of the protests, said the Sena had adopted “double standards” in opposing the car shed on one hand, but still sharing power with BJP. His Congress colleague Milind Deora tweeted, “It’s like repeatedly stabbing yourself in the lungs. When cities destroy coastlines and green cover, they are advancing the doomsday clock.”
In a veiled dig at Aaditya, the Nationalist Congress Party’s Mumbai unit chief Nawab Malik asked on Twitter, “Where were fake environment lovers who championed the ban on plastic when the tree felling started?” He tagged Aaditya and BJP in his tweet. The NCP will be staging an agitation over the issue.
While nobody from the state government has reacted so far, Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar, speaking to the media in Lucknow, defended MMRC’s decision to start felling trees in Aarey Milk Colony. “Basically the high court has decided and ruled yesterday [Friday] that it is not a forest,” Javadekar said. “You can’t fell anything that is forest.”
