Kumbh Cash, Cut Trees and Power Games: Nashik’s Tapovan Row Turns Into a Political Storm

A fierce political storm has erupted in Maharashtra over the controversial tree felling at Nashik’s Tapovan, with the issue now stretching far beyond environmental concerns into allegations of corruption and political horse-trading.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal has alleged charges against Nashik’s guardian minister Girish Mahajan, accusing him of misusing the Kumbh Mela budget to engineer defections within the opposition. Speaking in Pune, Sapkal said the funds meant for the grand religious congregation were allegedly being diverted to break rival parties and manage political equations ahead of the civic elections.

Sapkal also launched a sharp attack on Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, asking him to first resign from the government before criticising the BJP. “You can’t stick to power like a parasite and then pretend to be fighting corruption,” Sapkal said, accusing Pawar of shielding the BJP while playing what he called a “fixed match” with them. He alleged corruption in the Jain Boarding case involving the BJP and in the Mundhwa land deals involving Ajit Pawar, demanding that Pawar be removed from the government. Sapkal expressed confidence that the Congress would emerge revitalised after the municipal elections.

Meanwhile, the Tapovan tree-cutting issue has also drawn sharp criticism from MNS chief Raj Thackeray. Addressing a massive rally, Thackeray mocked Girish Mahajan over the planned felling of trees, saying the minister was worse than the woodcutter in the famous fable who refused to be tempted by gold and silver.

“These people don’t just cut trees, they cut down their own party workers and replace them with outsiders,” he quipped.
Recalling the 2012 Kumbh Mela held when the MNS was in power, Thackeray said the event was organised without cutting a single tree and had earned global praise. In contrast, he alleged that the current government was destroying greenery to free up land for corporate interests. “Once the saints leave, this land is already earmarked for someone else,” he warned, hinting at a pre-planned land grab.
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