‘Is this a picnic?’: Aditya Thackeray targets CM Eknath Shinde’s ‘50-people entourage’ for World Economic Forum
‘Is this a picnic?’: Aditya Thackeray targets CM Eknath Shinde’s ‘50-people entourage’ for World Economic Forum
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray alleged on Sunday that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was taking almost 50 people including officials’ family members to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and asked if they were going on a picnic.
“The unconstitutional cm is taking a personal entourage of almost 50 people to Davos. This includes officers, staffers and more. One can understand at the maximum, spouses, but for some of them, their kids are also being taken along as if this is a holiday, taking up the number to almost 70 people. Or may be this is a really a holiday,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Established in 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum brings together individuals from global business, politics, education and other fields to promote industrial development. Around 2,500 dignitaries participate in the annual conference held in Davos.
The Sena (UBT) MLA alleged that only 10 people had sought political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. “This holiday for the 75 people includes the likes of a current MP, a former MP (both of whose roles in the Davos summit are not specified), some publicists from private agencies, a whole battery of PAs to CM and DCM, OSDs of the cm, PSs (shown on various govt agency names), brokers and dealers, and then 4 from MMRDA, 8 from MAHAPREIT!!,” he further wrote on the social media platform.
“The list of the staff of the cm including PA, PS and @CMOMaharashtra is 20!” he added.
“Unless it’s for picking up someone’s bags, or sight seeing, or some physical work, what will 50 people do at Davos where they will only sign MoUs? Only the head of govt and the relevant officers are needed at the MoU signing. Not even the national delegation is ever so big! Is the @FinMinIndia and @MEAIndia aware of this junket and has political clearance been given to this 70+ group? All 50 should typically need political clearance as they represent formal agencies of the Govt of Maharashtra, therefore Govt of India. Even if some have been made to pay for their own travel, they will use the cars, hotels, and food paid for by us, as taxpayers! More so, they will represent our country and state.Only keen to know if the MEA has started allowing such big junkets, officially,” the former minister wrote in the post.
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