Maharashtra minister Lodha Aaditya Thackeray spar over tree cutting Rohingyas

Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday accused the Maharashtra government of trying to cut nearly 9,000 trees at Kurla ITI campus in Mumbai under the guise of building a road, questioning both the legality of the act and its timing.
State minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, however, dismissed the charge and alleged the opposition MLA was shielding encroachments by Bangladeshi Rohingyas.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, where the legislature is having its monsoon session, Thackeray said, "Kurla ITI (Industrial Training Institute) had nearly 9,000 trees with 48 species. These were the same trees planted just last year. How did they suddenly become unwanted within a year? If there is genuine permission for tree felling, why does the work happen late at night and that too with an earthmover?"
Taking a swipe at Lodha, a well-known realtor, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader remarked, "His builder mentality still lingers while serving as a minister."
Thackeray alleged the BJP minister was using the issue of encroachments by Bangladeshi Rohingya as a distraction from the tree-cutting controversy.
"Whenever they (BJP-led ruling coalition leaders) are cornered, they raise unrelated issues to divert attention," he claimed.
Lodha countered Thackeray's charges, insisting no trees were being cut for any construction work and the site was already developed for local games.
"A swimming pool was never proposed. We started work on the ground six months ago, and it is nearly complete. The road being built is just an eight-foot-wide pedestrian access," the state skill development minister emphasised.
Lodha further alleged the other side of the Kurla ground had been encroached upon by Bangladeshi Rohingyas.
"If we do not build this road, people will have to walk through the ITI. We were only constructing access roads. When Bangladeshi Rohingyas encroached on government land, Aaditya Thackeray never complained. But when we acted, he halted our work," the minister averred.
He accused the Sena (UBT) leader of protecting illegal occupants.
"The so-called opposition by Aaditya Thackeray and his party workers appears to be against traditional Indian games. He protected Bangladeshi Rohingyas," Lodha charged.
Taking a jibe at Thackeray, Lodha asked, "Your party was in power in the BMC for 25 years. Why you did not build a single playground for traditional games like kabaddi and kho-kho? Some of these games date back to Shivaji Maharaj's era. Why oppose them?"
In response to Thackeray's assertion that dealing with Rohingya infiltration was the Union government's responsibility, the BJP minister claimed most of these immigrants came to Mumbai when Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister of Maharashtra (November 2019-June 2022).
"It is true that the maximum number of Rohingyas came to Mumbai when Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister. When I was guardian minister, I cleared three major plots (of encroachments) in Mumbai's Malvani area and created facilities for desi games," Lodha maintained.
He added that several ITIs in the state had faced encroachments from Rohingyas.
Hitting back, the junior Thackeray said, "If Rohingyas have entered the country, is it not the responsibility of your Union government? Who has been in power for the last 11 years? Was the home ministry sleeping? You woke up yesterday? Have you shown the courage like US President Donald Trump (who has taken tough stand on illegal immigrants) to deport illegal Rohingyas?

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)