Raj Thackeray's son Amit against new govt's Aarey decision, says: 'Shocking'
Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray said the decision of the new government on Aarey is shocking for him and to all environment activists and animal lovers.
Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray on Saturday took to social media and expressed his displeasure at the Shinde-Fadnavis government's decision to build the metro car shed in Mumbai's Aarey colony, which former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had stayed. Calling the decision shocking, the son of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said the youth of Maharashtra had protested against the car shed and some were put in jail. Also Read: Maharashtra: Metro-3 depot back in Aarey Colony
Urging the new government to reconsider the decision, Amit Thackeray said, "We definitely need development but not at the cost of the environment. If our environment is completely destroyed then there will be no one left for politics or to be ruled upon. The politicians should take a note of this."
In the very first Cabinet meeting after the swearing-in, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday overturned the decision of Uddhav to shift the metro car shed out of the Aarey colony, which Uddhav's government designated as a reserve forest.
The Aarey decision has emerged as the latest flashpoint in Maharashtra as Uddhav, reacting to the decision, said, "If you are angry with me, attack me...don't stab Mumbai in the heart by constructing the metro in Aarey." Uddhav also said that he did not stay the development but shifted the project out of Aarey to Kanjurmarg, which is a public plot.
Amit Thackeray's opposition at a time his father Raj Thackeray welcomed the Shinde-Fadnavis government is significant.
Several activists, Bollywood personalities in 2019 protested after the authorities began cutting trees in the forest area for the proposed car shed. Then the proposal was shelved and moved out of the Aarey forest area.
With the return of the project with the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, actor Raveena Tandon was trolled on social media for her resistance to the project. "Development is welcome, we have to be responsible, not only a project, but wherever we are cutting through are forests, to safeguard environment/wildlife," the actor tweeted.
"All development is welcome...all one prays is that more is done to compensate for environmental loss/safeguarding of wildlife .India,today,prides herselfwith tiger count increase,but because of depleting forestsroad/rail kills of leopards and tigers are increasing," Raveena tweeted.
