Thane, February 23 The first general body meeting of the Thane Municipal Corporation began with a heated exchange between the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena after the civic administration decided to skip the question-and-answer session and pass proposals without discussion.
Deputy Mayor Krishna Dadu Patil criticized Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar for "arbitrarily" passing proposals without discussion.
He then left the stage to sit among the other corporators in protest.
"I will not tolerate such behavior. If I am not allowed to speak in the next assembly, I will resign from the post of deputy mayor," said BJP corporator Patil.
The tension began when the administration bypassed the question-and-answer session and immediately moved on to the agenda.
While BJP corporators demanded answers about civic issues and a white paper on administrative work from 2023 to 2025, the mayor directed that the agenda be passed, stating that discussions would follow after the formation of committees.
Amidst chants of "Shiv Sena Zindabad" and counter-slogans from the BJP, municipal secretary Manish Joshi read out 19 items, which were quickly approved.
Later, BJP members, led by Patil, submitted a letter signed by 25 corporators to the mayor, demanding the immediate cancellation of all 19 approved items.
The letter stated: "The BJP strives for transparency. Passing topics without discussion and silencing senior corporators is a breach of rules."
The opposition, including the NCP (SP), also joined the protest, accusing the ruling Shiv Sena of "secretly supporting" the administration's cover-up of the past three years' work.
The meeting was adjourned, with the BJP vowing to "expose the misdeeds" of the administration and the Shiv Sena corporators staging a walkout.