MNS chief Raj Thackeray calls for transport bandh on Wednesday

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navanirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray has alleged the road toll collected in Maharashtra was being used by the Nationalist Congress Party as an election-fund and it was one of the biggest scams in the country. Addressing a rally in Pune Raj called for a transport bandh in Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Raj said that the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra was already collecting 13 different taxes supposed to be used for building roads and the toll was being used only for generating a political fund. “The state is collecting over `22,000 crore on road tax of vehicles sold in the state and a similar amount on fuel cess and other taxes.

The calculations show that the state has three times the funds which are actually needed for construction of new roads and bridges,” Raj claimed.

“We...met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to explain to him that there is large-scale misappropriation in road toll collection but he said he has to run a coalition government and cannot act against his ministers. We had no option but to launch an agitation against the collection of toll,” Thackeray added.