Caste more in minds of politicians than in minds of people: Fadnavis

 

 

 

“Between 2019 and 2024, I was deliberately targeted on various issues. This might be a record in Maharashtra. From morning till evening, they only spoke about me. However, I thank them. Due to the negative atmosphere they created, sympathy towards me grew among the public. People were observing my work. Caste is more in the minds of politicians than in the minds of the people. The Opposition’s attempts at polarisation have not succeeded. I am a modern-day Abhimanyu; I know how to break the chakravyuh,” asserted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his response to the debate on the Governor’s speech.

 

Fadnavis delivered a fiery and impactful speech in the Assembly on Thursday. Fadnavis assured that no scheme would ever be discontinued. “Every promise made in the manifesto will be fulfilled. As soon as the Session ends, the installment for ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ will be credited to accounts of the beneficiaries. We are not removing women from the list. We are only trying to know whether the amount is going in the accounts of right people or not. Someone having multiple accounts and availing the benefits of the scheme is fraudulent and we want to avoid that,” pointed out Fadnavis. Fadnavis explained the statistics of additional votes amounting to 74 lakh in detail.

 

“People have elected us with an overwhelming majority. But Congress ran fake narratives, and I am here to dismantle those,” Fadnavis warned. Referring to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Fadnavis remarked, “Until 2012, there were only EVMs in the country. After that, VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) came into play. VVPAT is essentially a form of ballot paper voting. It displays the slip bearing name of the candidate for whom the vote was cast, which is also counted during vote tallying.” “EVM stands for ‘Every Vote for Maharashtra’ meaning the votes were for the Mahayuti alliance. If the election results are in your favour, then you call it ‘the people’s mandate’ or ‘victory of democracy’. But if it’s against you, then you term it as ‘murder of democracy and the Constitution’ or raise doubts about the Election Commission. Spreading doubts about constitutionally established institutions is tantamount to sedition,” Fadnavis said firmly. Elaborating the issue of EVM further, Fadnavis explained, “Opposition created doubts like how one can win in EVMs but lose in postal ballots and vice versa. If we look at the history as to how EVMs came into being then we will realise, EVMs were introduced on August 6, 1980, and first used on May 19, 1982.

 

EVMs were used in 6 Assembly constituencies in 1988, in 18 Assembly constituencies in 1998 and in 46 Lok Sabha constituencies in 1999. Congress came to power in 2004 when EVMs were used in all the Lok Sabha constituencies, but the machines became ‘bad’ only after Narendra Modi’s government came to power in 2014. I advice you people of Opposition to accept the mandate with an open heart. You must introspect else you will keep suffering in the same manner you suffered in Assembly polls. We realised our mistake when we suffered a loss in Lok Sabha polls, we introspected and faced the Assembly polls with fresh mind.” Fadnavis also criticised slogans like ‘vote jihad’ used for winning the elections. “An organisation made 17 demands and you people accepted those without uttering a single word. A youth complained of unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 114 crore having been deposited in his account. A person named Siraj Mohammed transferred Rs 600 crore to Dubai. The Opposition uses their shoulders to let others fire guns. Nobody questions their credibility,” added Fadnavis. Devendra Fadnavis also noted that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the first to grant Marathi the status of the official language and thereafter it was done by Prime Minister Modi. The High Court has been requested to deliver judgments in Marathi, Fadnavis informed the House. Referring to the criticism by Opposition regarding projects being taken from Maharashtra to Gujarat, Fadnavis stated, “The Opposition itself is ironically promoting Gujarat’s progress.

 

We must keep in mind that Maharashtra was number one in the past, remains so today, and will continue to be. Significant investments are coming into the State. During Chief Minister Shinde’s tenure, 221 major projects were brought to Maharashtra. Toyota is setting up a new plant in Maharashtra. Maharashtra ranks first in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). While the State regressed during the two-and-a-half years of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government, it has regained the top spot now. New industrial hubs include Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Nardana, and Gadchiroli are being created.”