Mumbai, August 24: Sanjay Raut, a Member of Parliament from the Shiv Sena (UBT), has written to the state’s Transport Minister, Pratap Sarnaik. In his letter, Raut urged the minister to reconsider the impact of ride-sharing services like Rapido, Ola, and Uber on the livelihoods of thousands of Marathi rickshaw drivers in the state.
Raut stated, “Sir, some ministers in the state have financial and business ties with the ‘Rapido’ company. Rapido has sponsored events like Dahi Handi, Ganeshotsav, and cultural programs for several ministers, contributing millions of rupees. Some ministers have even received funds for elections. It seems that thousands of rickshaw drivers are being caught in this web as a means of repaying favors.”
He further emphasized, “When the current Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra was originally a rickshaw driver, it is unjust to deprive the state’s rickshaw drivers of their livelihoods. I would like to meet with you along with a delegation from the Rickshaw Drivers’ Struggle Committee. Please inform me of a suitable time and place.”
Recently, Raut accused the central government of injustice towards Maharashtra’s cooperative sector. On August 20, he wrote to Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, expressing concerns over the passage of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the inauguration of the National Urban Cooperative Finance Development Corporation (NUCFDC) office in Mumbai.
A copy of Raut’s letter was also sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sharad Pawar, Chairman of the National Cooperative Committee. Raut raised significant objections regarding the ministry’s recent decisions related to urban cooperative banking assets. He noted that he deliberately wrote the letter in Marathi to ensure the public understands the injustices being faced by Maharashtra’s urban cooperative banking sector.
He alleged that the bill was rushed through and that the assets of top urban cooperative banks in Maharashtra and Goa were seized without the consent of their members through the NUCFDC. He described this as a direct attack on Maharashtra’s cooperative movement.
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