Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut Slam Authorities Over Aarey Tree-Cutting; Netizens Call Them 'Hypocrites', Remind Them Shiv Sena Is BJP Ally at Centre and in Maharashtra

Mumbai, October 5: Yuva Sena president Aaditya Thackeray and Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday locked horned with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the proposed metro shed in Mumbai's Aarey forest area. Thackeray scion, who is set to contest the Maharashtra Assembly Polls from Worli, criticised the cutting of trees. While Sanjay Raut shared a post showing a cartoon in which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is blindfolding Lady Justice with a strip of cloth which reads, "Aarey Not A Forest."

Calling the move "shameful and disgusting", Aaditya tweeted: "The vigour with which the @MumbaiMetro3 is slyly and swiftly cutting down an ecosystem in Aarey is shameful and disgusting. How about posting these officials in PoK, giving them charge to destroy terror camps rather than trees?" Aarey Tree Cutting: Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena Leader, Detained by Mumbai Police Amid Protests; Watch Video.

Tweet by Aaditya Thackeray:

Aaditya also criticised hacking of trees in night and detention of "peaceful protesters". "The use of a large number of police personnel. Hacking trees in the dead of the night, even after winning in court (then why not broad day light) and detention of peaceful protesters and citizens. Who is authorising this? During Code of Conduct? All these powers handed to MMRC?" he tweeted.  Aarey Tree Cutting: Video Shows Authorities Starts Chopping Down Trees, Twitterati Cries Foul.

However, netizens were quick to notice that Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party are alliance partners at both the centre and in Maharashtra. Twitterati also poined out that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is ruled by Shiv Sena and State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam is also from Shiv Sena.

Senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha lawmaker Sanjay Rawat posted a cartoon in which Maharashtra Chief Minister is seen blindfolding Lady Justice with a cloth which reads, "Aarey not a forest".

Tweet by Sanjay Raut:

Here's How People Reacted to The Post

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd or MMRCL has started cutting trees on Friday night to make way for the metro car shed. On Friday, the Bombay High Court dismissed pleas filed by activists and NGOs challenging its ruling to allow felling of trees in the Aarey Colony.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2019 02:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).