Aarey issue: Uddhav Thackeray backs protesters, says will deal with destroyers of forest after polls

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that the action against those who are destroying the forest in Aarey colony in Mumbai would follow once Sena comes to power after the Assembly polls (PTI Photo)

Aarey protests: Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday came in support of the Aarey forest protestors and said that his party will punish “the murderers of Aarey forest” after coming to power. He said that the action against those who are destroying the forest in Aarey colony in Mumbai would follow once Sena comes to power after the Assembly polls.

“The upcoming government will be our government and once our government comes back to power, we will deal with the murderers of Aarey forest in the best possible way we can,” news agency ANI quoted Thackeray as saying.

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He further said that the Aarey issue was most important for him and he would speak firmly after gaining complete information about the same. “Aarey is the most important issue for me right now. Whatever is happening today, whatever was happening yesterday and whatever will happen in the future, I will take detailed and in-depth information on what the situation is and will speak firmly and directly on the issue,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena candidate from Worli Aditya Thackeray came down heavily on the Mumbai Metro officials for destroying the city’s green cover.

Describing the move to hack hundreds of trees as a shameful act, the 29-year-old Sena leader tweeted, “A project that should be executed with pride, the Mumbai Metro phase 3 has to do it in the cover of the night, with shame, slyness and heavy cop cover. The project supposed to get Mumbai clean air is hacking down a forest with a leopard, rusty-spotted cat and more.”

Also Read | ‘In the cover of night, shame’: Aaditya Thackeray slams cutting of trees in Mumbai’s Aarey

Hundreds of activists have been holding protests in the Aarey colony in Mumbai. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed and the police deployment has been increased in the area.

Aarey issue has pushed BJP and Shiv Sena into a very strange situation as both the parties are alliance partners and running the state government together. Shiv Sena is against the cutting of trees but BJP believes that it can’t stop the metro project in the area. Recently, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government was bound to cut trees in Aarey forest as “development is important”.