The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the MahaYuti government, accusing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his administration of celebrating glossy infrastructure projects while neglecting the collapsing healthcare and basic amenities in remote tribal belts of Maharashtra.
In a sharp editorial published in Saamana, the party said the government’s tall claims about highways, metro corridors and tunnel roads were “nothing but colourful balloons” when villages barely a few hours from Mumbai continue to struggle for basic survival. The Thackeray camp said that before boasting about megaprojects, the state must ensure that the poor in remote tribal pockets get dependable ambulance services, motorable roads and functioning health centres.
The criticism came in the backdrop of a shocking incident in Palghar’s Mokhada region, where an ambulance driver allegedly abandoned a tribal woman and her newborn baby midway after childbirth, forcing the family to walk nearly two kilometres on foot. The incident surfaced only after a citizen posted the video on social media, triggering outrage.
According to Shiv Sena (UBT), the episode exposed the “gulf between the government’s development narrative and the severe lack of basic facilities on the ground.” The editorial pointed out that even after seven decades of independence, regions like Wada–Mokhada remain trapped in backwardness — with treacherous roads, scarce public transport, understaffed Primary Health Centres and no access to proper emergency services.
The party noted that pregnant women and critically ill patients in these regions are often carried in slings (zoli) or on makeshift palanquins (doli) due to non-existent roads and unavailable ambulances, leading to frequent death and complications during travel.
“In Mumbai, which the Chief Minister claims he will transform, Mokhada lies just a short distance away. If even a labouring tribal woman cannot get dignity and safety, what is the use of grand development claims?” the editorial questioned.
