Mumbai, July 15: In a blistering attack on the ruling dispensation, Shiv Sena(UBT) on Wednesday alleged that Maharashtra’s economy has completely collapsed due to unprecedented institutional corruption. Citing a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the editorial claimed that the ruling alliance orchestrated a “State Capture” by illegally siphoning off Rs 3,541 crore from the state exchequer through the Ladki Bahin Yojana to purchase votes ahead of the Assembly elections.

The party in an editorial in its mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, said the government initially launched the flagship welfare scheme — promising Rs 1,500 per month to women — with a total outlay of Rs 14,000 crore distributed to 2.43 crore beneficiaries. However, the subsequent CAG audit revealed that 92 lakh beneficiaries were completely bogus or ineligible. Among these discrepancies, “About 62 lakh individuals had not completed mandatory e-KYC verifications. Further, 29,000 men and 8,000 government employees were illegally enrolled and drew funds from the scheme,” said the editorial.

It further asserted that while the government has now unceremoniously dropped these 92 lakh ineligible names after winning the elections, the money was intentionally channelled into these accounts right before the Model Code of Conduct took effect to secure victory.

Drawing parallels to the post-Soviet collapse in Eastern Europe — where politicians and oligarchs colluded to control the state apparatus for personal gain — the Thackeray camp classified this scam as a textbook case of State Capture. “Spending Rs 3,541 crore from the public treasury to systematically purchase 30 to 35 lakh votes is not ordinary corruption. It is the outright purchasing of a state by manipulating laws, tenders, and public policies for political survival,” it noted.

The editorial sharply criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for crying foul and accusing the opposition of “defaming Maharashtra” whenever corruption is exposed. It noted that despite investigative reports exposing massive land scams linked to public figures, accountability remains completely absent.

The editorial has highlighted the stark double standard in how the state treats ordinary citizens versus political elites. It pointed out that while absconding businessmen like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and Lalit Modi fled the country after defaulting on bank loans, poor farmers face immediate property seizures, and citizens have their electricity disconnected for missing simple bill payments. Yet, a government overseeing a Rs 3,541 crore fraud continues to rule with absolute impunity.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has demanded full financial accountability, stating that the responsibility does not end with merely purging bogus names from the recipient list. “Recover the stolen funds directly from the personal assets of the then-Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers, the entire cabinet, and the senior bureaucrats (including the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and Women & Child Development Secretary) who cleared the illegal payouts. Freeze and auction their personal movable and immovable properties to return the plundered money to the taxpayers,” it said.

The editorial pointed out a grim assessment of Maharashtra’s fiscal health amid rising public debt and depleting borrowing credibility. It flagged reports from the World Bank indicating a sharp decline in Maharashtra’s per capita income compared to other states.

By prioritising electoral bribes over fundamental governance, the editorial stated that the rulers have deprived legitimate distressed groups, including struggling farmers, students, widows, the underprivileged, and the disabled, of vital state aid. The Thackeray camp warned that such blatant financial indiscipline would permanently shatter the public’s trust in welfare schemes and social governance.

Ratnagiri, July 15: Three people, including two women, were killed and two others sustained critical injuries after a car rammed into a stationary dumper on the Mumbai-Goa Highway in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district early on Wednesday, officials said.

The injured were rushed to Lanja Rural Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment.

Police have launched an investigation into the accident and are working to ascertain the identities of the deceased and inform their family members.

According to officials, the victims were members of a family from Mumbai’s Agripada who had travelled to Goa. The accident occurred while they were returning to Mumbai, when their vehicle collided with a stationary dumper near the Lanja Rest House on the Mumbai-Goa Highway.

Officials said the impact of the collision was extremely severe, leaving the car completely mangled. Local residents and passing motorists rushed to assist the occupants trapped inside the damaged vehicle.

The police were informed immediately, following which a team reached the scene and began rescue and relief operations.

Police shifted the injured to Lanja Rural Hospital for treatment and took possession of the bodies of those who lost their lives.

Officials said further legal proceedings are underway. Police are also attempting to establish the identities of the deceased and contact their relatives as part of the investigation into the incident.

The latest accident comes a day after another major road mishap in Maharashtra.

On Tuesday, a private luxury passenger bus lost control and overturned on the Yeola-Nandgaon State Highway in Nashik district.

In that accident, one passenger died on the spot while five others suffered serious injuries. Around 25 to 26 passengers were travelling in the bus when the incident occurred.

The bus was negotiating a ghat section when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn on the roadway.

Mumbai, July 15: A woman was brutally killed by her husband in a brutal attack near a traffic signal in the Oshiwara area of Andheri West in Maharashtra’s Mumbai, officials said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the accused assaulted his wife with a large stone before slitting her throat with a knife following a heated argument.

He fled the scene after the incident but was arrested by the police a few hours later.

The incident took place near a traffic signal located a short distance from the Oshiwara Police Station late on Tuesday. Police said a dispute broke out between the couple over an issue.

According to the preliminary investigation, the argument intensified, following which the accused allegedly picked up a large stone and attacked his wife. He then allegedly used a knife to slit her throat.

The woman collapsed at the spot and suffered severe bleeding as a result of the assault, officials said.

After receiving information about the incident, a team from the Oshiwara Police Station rushed to the scene and shifted the injured woman to Cooper Hospital for treatment.

Doctors at Cooper Hospital examined the woman and declared her dead.

The accused husband had fled from the spot in an apparent attempt to evade arrest. Police immediately launched a search operation, and the accused was traced and arrested within a few hours of the incident.

A case of murder has been registered against the accused under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said the accused is being interrogated to ascertain the exact motive behind the killing and to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the crime.