Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday took a dig at Dy CM Eknath Shinde over carrying suitcases in his helicopters while campaigning in the Konkan and alleged that money was brought in these suitcases ahead of local body polls. Sharing a video on X where bags were seen being brought off a helicopter from which Shinde alighted, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut asked what Shinde brought in his suitcases. Former Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik alleged that money was brought in the big suitcases to distribute in the Konkan. Shinde Sena minister Uday Samant said that those netas who campaign for 8-10 days at a stretch need clothes that are kept in such bags. Samant said Sena (UBT) netas who never leave their homes for campaigning won’t understand these things. Last month, during the assembly election campaign, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had a heated exchange of words with govt officials after his bags were searched as he arrived in Yavatmal for campaigning ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.“In Malvan, the BJP’s bags got an answer through suitcases. Even before this, these suitcases landed in Nashik. Is this the state of democracy? Jai Maharashtra,” Raut said in a post on X sharing the video.“Both BJP and Shinde Sena have won elections only through distributing money…the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Now they are making allegations of money distribution against each other,” Naik said.Sena MLA Nilesh Rane said that if the Sena (UBT) knew about money being distributed from the suitcases, then they should have filed a complaint. “The SEC records all such movements through helicopters in CCTV. They should have complained,” Nilesh Rane said.Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar said those bags had only clothes. “After Sindhudurg, Dy CM Shinde was on a visit to Solapur. One has to take one’s own clothes with him while traveling. The criticism on that is condemnable,” Kesarkar said.
