Political credit war erupts within Mahayuti in Maharashtra after J&K terror attack

Each constituent party of the Mahayuti alliance acted independently to rescue the stranded people in Pahalgam after Tuesday's terror attack, leading to a political credit war.

In Short

• Independent rescue efforts by Mahayuti alliance parties
• Maharashtra Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers make separate arrangements
• Congress criticises lack of coordination within ruling alliance

In the aftermath of the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, a political credit war surfaced within the Maharashtra government as each constituent party of the Mahayuti alliance independently initiated relief and rescue efforts for stranded tourists and the families of the victims.

Chief Minister Fadnavis announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to each of the six families who lost loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack. An additional Rs 50,000 will be provided to those injured. He also stated that a special flight is being arranged to bring back Maharashtra tourists from Kashmir, and the state government will bear the cost.

Special trains were also launched from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to New Delhi to ease transportation issues and manage the surge in travellers.

The state government announced that two officers—Visheshkar Suryawanshi, Manager of the State Emergency Operations Centre, and Control Room Officer Nitin Masale—have been appointed at the Ministry Control Room to assist affected citizens. Sarishkumar Khadke, Director of the Disaster Management Control Room, issued helpline numbers for citizens or their relatives seeking assistance.

On the other hand Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, amid separate political arrangements, skipped a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday and canceled the meetings of his Urban Development Department. He remained in Thane and later attended a function hosted by a Marathi news channel.

Shinde subsequently left for Kashmir in a private chartered plane to lead the rescue operations aimed at bringing stranded tourists back home. A press release from his office highlighted that Shinde is the first to respond in any emergency situation.

It all started at midnight on Tuesday, when Shinde announced he had spoken with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and that a special flight would be arranged to bring tourists from Kashmir to Maharashtra.

On Wednesday morning, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and BJP MP from Pune, Murlidhar Mohol—known to be close to CM Fadnavis—announced that following discussions with the Chief Minister, a special flight would be sent to Kashmir for the rescue and relief of tourists from Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later directed BJP ministers to carry out specific tasks to coordinate with state and central government agencies for the seamless repatriation of deceased individuals and their relatives.

BJP leader and Minister Girish Mahajan was sent to Kashmir on a special plane, while Ministers Ashish Shelar and Mangalprabhat Lodha were assigned to be present at Mumbai airport upon the arrival of the deceased from Panvel and Dombivli.

Meanwhile, Shinde’s office issued a statement that a team led by Abhijeet Darekar, personal assistant to MP Shrikant Shinde, had reached Srinagar on Tuesday night and had already begun relief work for Maharashtra tourists.

Shinde also directed MP Shrikant Shinde, Minister Gulabrao Patil, Minister of State for Home (Urban) Yogesh Kadam, and Minister Prakash Abitkar to be present at Mumbai and Pune airports as the deceased and their relatives arrived. School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, a close aide of Shinde, was directed to attend the last rites of Dilip Desale in Panvel.

Meanwhile, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar issued a press release stating that he had spoken with Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, requesting additional flights to aid in the rescue of tourists from Maharashtra.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar criticised the government for a lack of coordination. He said an urgent meeting of ministers should have been convened, and a collective action plan announced. Instead, allies in the ruling alliance were focused on gaining political visibility during a crisis, which he termed "unfortunate and condemnable."

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jitendra Awhad said any kind of assistance is welcome, but not at the cost of political advantage.