MUMBAI — The ongoing turf war between Maharashtra’s rival regional factions has escalated after Uddhav Thackeray’s party mouthpiece, Saamana, published a blistering editorial targeting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and issuing a direct political warning to senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
The renewed hostilities follow a fresh political shift last week, which saw six more legislators switch allegiance from the Thackeray camp to Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
“Operation Tiger” and the Warning to the BJP
The editorial accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of compromising Maharashtra’s administrative prestige for personal and political leverage since his initial 2022 rebellion. In a direct appeal to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the mouthpiece cautioned that backing the current Chief Minister could carry heavy long-term political costs for the BJP:
“Shinde’s politics and an arrogance born of wealth will eventually land Fadnavis in trouble too… as it has become evident a faction in Delhi is openly backing him against Fadnavis. But, ignoring issues facing Maharashtra, Fadnavis speaks about Shinde’s ‘delivery’ and distributes sweets.”
Taking aim at the ruling alliance’s celebration over the new defections—reportedly codenamed “Operation Tiger”—the piece sarcastically countered the BJP’s praise of Shinde’s political “delivery.” Saamana alleged that a massive ₹500 crore budget was deployed to orchestrate the political switch, bluntly stating, “Yes, he has ‘delivered’… he produced six traitors.”
Urban Strain: Mumbai’s Water Reserves Plunge to 8.5%
Beyond the political theater, the editorial heavily criticized the ruling alliance for prioritizing public-relations campaigns over severe infrastructure and resource challenges affecting the financial capital.
The paper brought forward critical data regarding Mumbai’s immediate utility crisis:
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Critical Dam Levels: Combined water stocks in the seven principal reservoirs feeding Mumbai have dropped sharply to just 8.5%.
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Widespread Rationing: Water reserves across adjacent districts have similarly dried up, triggering immediate municipal supply cuts.
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Diverted Focus: The editorial argued that state administrative machinery is focused on executing political photo-sessions while core civic utilities collapse.
Hard Stance on the NEET Examination Leak
The mouthpiece further leveraged the ongoing nationwide controversy surrounding the NEET-UG medical entrance examination, which was scrapped over paper leaks and re-conducted on June 21, putting intense pressure on the central education ministry.
Saamana explicitly alleged that the operational epicenter of the paper leak loop traces back to Maharashtra, claiming arrested individuals maintain ties to the state BJP unit. The editorial concluded by urging the opposition benches to bring the upcoming state Assembly proceedings to an absolute standstill to demand full accountability for the millions of affected students.
