NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule
Credit: PTI photo
Mumbai: Under the ‘triple-engine khoke-sarkar,’ Maharashtra is facing an economic crisis, NCP (SP) Working President and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said launching a scathing attack on the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government.
Incidentally, Ajit Pawar, the NCP President who is the Deputy Chief Minister and state Finance Minister, is Supriya Sule’s cousin who had rebelled against her father Sharad Pawar, who now heads NCP (SP).
“For months, (state NCP (SP) President and former Finance Minister) Jayant Patil has been warning about the economic crisis. During the last Vidhan Sabha winter session, he raised these issues, but no one paid attention. The Finance Ministry keeps raising objections, but the government refuses to listen,” Supriya Sule told reporters.
“Maharashtra’s economy is in serious trouble,” said Sule. “Even (Union Road Transport and Highways Minister) Nitin Gadkari and Maha Yuti allies like (MNS President) Raj Thackeray, and various economists are acknowledging this. If those within the government are sounding alarms, it is clear that we have a crisis on our hands,” she said.
“The state’s fiscal deficit has soared to Rs 1,99,125.87 crore, with the revenue deficit surpassing the 3% mark. Despite this, the government has continued to grant approvals for large expenditures, disregarding warnings from the Finance Department,” she said.
Highlighting the state’s strong economic track record under previous NCP governments, she said: “Whenever Jayant Patil was Finance Minister, Maharashtra was in fiscal surplus. From Yashwantrao Chavan to now, Maharashtra has enjoyed decades of economic excellence. Today, under the ‘triple engine khoke sarkar,’ we’re facing an economic crisis.
Supriya Sule also criticized the selective allocation of state funds, calling out the government’s biased financial practices.
“In cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, and in sugar mills, they distribute funds based on political support. If you support them, then “saat khoon maaf.” But if you oppose them—even ideologically—you get nothing, no matter how strong your public backing,” she said, specifically pointing to the neglect of Baramati and Shirur in recent financial disbursements.