Shiv Sena UBT Targets BJP Over Midday Meals and Youth Rally Funding

The Shiv Sena (UBT) launched an attack on Monday against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging widespread corruption in the state's school midday meal scheme and raising concerns over financial irregularities in youth outreach events.

In an editorial published in its party mouthpiece, 'Saamana', the opposition party questioned the standard of food being provided to schoolchildren across the state. The editorial also scrutinised the sources of funding for various BJP-led events and rallies aimed at targeting young voters ahead of upcoming political contests.

Highlighting issues within the state-run nutrition initiative, the party cited a specific incident from Ambegaon in Pune district. According to the editorial, schoolchildren in the area were supplied with substandard dried peas that failed to soften even after being cooked for 13 whistles in a pressure cooker.

The party used the Ambegaon incident to claim that poor-quality provisions are being distributed to students under the midday meal programme while public resources are misdirected. The editorial directly questioned the administration's oversight of school meal contracts and demanded accountability regarding the execution of child nutrition schemes across Maharashtra.

In addition to the meal quality allegations, the editorial pressed the state leadership on the expenditure behind recent youth-focused political programmes. The party questioned the transparency of the funds deployed for these outreach efforts, linking governance standards to the welfare of students and young citizens in the state.