Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday slammed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s trip to Japan in August and Industries Minister Uday Samant’s trip to London and Davos next week, alleging that ministers are spending public money for their holidays and there is no outcome for the state from the foreign trips. Aaditya said that after he objected and sought details of the foreign trips of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, two such trips were cancelled. “Foreign trips are in fashion for the illegal regime in Maharashtra. Spending public money and no outcomes for state have been the norm for these holidays of ministers and officials in Shinde-BJP regime. On asking questions, the 'illegal' CM and Speaker have cancelled their tours this week,” Aaditya posted on social media platform X. “Last week, the CM was to visit Germany and UK for a holiday, disguised as an official tour with a huge number of people shown as delegation. After I asked for details of the tour on social media, about investors that he would meet or the places he would visit, his office cancelled the tour within 30 minutes of my post," he said in a press conference organised Shiv Sena Bhavan on Saturday. “Likewise, the past two days I have asked on social media about the irony of Speaker Rahul Narvekar visiting the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, while delaying and denying justice to Maharashtra’s parliamentary democratic principles. He had to cancel the tour," he said. Raising objections to Fadnavis's Japan trip, Aaditya also cited a state Government Resolution (GR), which gave post-facto sanction to the trip. He said it stated that the entire cost of Fadnavis’s trip with half-a-dozen officials was to be paid by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) even though the five-day trip was organised on the invitation of the Consulate of Japan in Mumbai. “The DCM visited Japan, on the invitation of the Japan government as stated in the GR. Surprisingly, even with an invite from the govt, the five-day trip has been sponsored by the MIDC. Interestingly, the MIDC has given post-facto approval to the expenses on travel and stay, ideally which the host bears if there is an official invite. More so, the GR states that there will be a detailed report filed by the delegation within one month of arrival, ie, August 25. Now it’s been more than a month. We can’t see any detailed report or outcomes apart from an honourary doctorate to the DCM. Why does MIDC have to bear the expenses on a trip to receive an honourary degree," Aaditya questioned. He further raised objections to Samant’s trip to Davos and demanded it be scrapped since it was akin to a vacation to enjoy the snow by spending public money and said that he was not objecting to ministers going on holidays but taxpayers money shouldn't be spent on those vacations. Aaditya said that the finance ministry should clarify if the state can afford these holidays on taxpayers' money. "Now another trip has been approved, that of the Industries Minister to UK, Switzerland and Germany. In the UK, he is supposed to attend a 'round table conference', but nobody has any details of who all will attend this conference. Then he will attend a conference/ meeting on 'artificial intelligence'. In Switzerland, he is going to visit Davos for an inspection tour. Funnily, nobody from the world economic forum is in Davos. It’s a regular town and WEF happens in January! While he isn’t even the guardian minister of Davos, what is he going to inspect there,” Aaditya said. He further pointed out the earlier foreign trips by the Assembly Speaker to Russia and Deputy Chairperson to Europe with 49 people. “The Speaker visited Russia for five days, without any details of the tour. Similarly the Deputy Chairperson visited Europe with 49 people, but no report on any outcomes of the study tour. CM gram sadak yojana officials toured Australia-NZ from August 13 to 27 but we don’t know who sponsored this tour. We don’t know what outcomes we have achieved as a state from this tour," Aaditta said. Responding to the criticism by Aaditya, Samant said that the Opposition is spreading misconceptions about the foreign visits by the ministers to politicise the trips. Samant said some people are constantly criticising the foreign visits of the chief minister and other ministers and trying to spread misunderstandings. “One can indulge in politics and criticise the government but the language should be decent even while criticising. People should not get confused by constant misinformation spread by Opposition. Otherwise, we also have to raise the issue of who spent on what , who was bearing those expenses and who took the benefits of subsidy in the past 25-years in BMC,” he said. Speaking about his visit, Samant said, “Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is going to visit London to sign an agreement to get back the tiger claws of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I will also attend this event. Along with that, two contracts of MIDC will be signed there. Also I will be looking at how are the preparations for the Maharashtra Pavilion at Davos going on? When I return the opposition can surely get the information about who exactly spent for the expenses. We also have to take information about who was doing the business of constructing poor roads in Mumbai that used to get the pothole ridden the very next day.”
