Sena wants states to be 'self-reliant' from Centre; upholds 'Guru' Pawar's letter to PM

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday criticized the policies and approach of the Central government in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, Sena said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that the people of the country are fighting against Corinavirus but he needs to also answer as to what the government is doing about it.

'Why should states depend on favour from Centre?'

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi's comment on National Panchayati Raj Day on Friday where he said that the biggest message arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic was for India to be self-reliant and self-sufficient for the majority of its needs, Sena said that even states should be made self-reliant. It asked the government that why should the states depend on a "favour" from the Centre while dealing with the crisis. 

The editorial said that Mumbai alone contributes Rs 2.25 lakh crore as taxes in the Centre's kitty which is the highest by a margin and during such time of distress, the Centre should announce a special package for Maharashtra. It demanded a financial package for other affected states also. Sena claimed that this is what Sharad Pawar has also said in the letter to PM Modi, the person whom PM Modi calls his guru. "Listen to your guru now," it added. 

The attack at the Centre comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday along with other CMs interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss further steps to be taken to beat Coronavirus.

Maha to send 100 buses to bring back students stuck in Kota

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has decided to send about 100 buses to Kota in Rajasthan to bring back nearly 2,000 students stranded there due to the lockdown, Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab has said.

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Buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will be sent to Kota in the next two days, Parab said on Monday night. A number of students from Maharashtra have been staying at Kota to take coaching classes for the preparation of various competitive entrance examinations after Class 12.

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"The Maharashtra government has decided to bring back the students who had gone to Kota. We will send some 100 buses from Dhule to Kota for the purpose, Parab said. The students will first be brought to Maharashtra's Dhule district, which is located adjoining the Madhya Pradesh border, and then sent to their native places by state transport facilities, the minister said.

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(With agency inputs)