Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has said that BJP's doors are closed for Uddhav Thackeray. The party in Maharashtra will not go with him in future. I already knew about making Shinde CM. I am not in the race of Chief Minister or President.
While talking to new agency ANI, Fadnavis said that NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar is an expert in breaking the family and the party. NCP and Shiv Sena broke up due to their excessive ambitions. Uddhav wanted to become CM so he broke ties with us. After becoming Chief Minister, he wanted to bring Aditya Thackeray forward, so he tried to strangle Eknath Shinde.
On the Batenge to Katenge na slogan and opposition alliance in BJP, he said – Ajit Pawar lived for decades with such ideologies which are secular and anti-Hindu. It will take some time for him to understand the public mood.
Highlights of Fadnavis' interview…
Question: How true is Yogi Adityanath's slogan 'Batange to Katange'? Answer: I don't see anything wrong with Yogiji's slogan. Look at the history of this country, whenever this country has been divided into castes, provinces and communities, this country has been enslaved.
Ajit Pawar lived with secular and anti-Hindu ideologies for decades. He has lived with people for whom opposition to Hindutva is secularism. It will take some time for him to understand the public mood. These people either did not understand the sentiment of the public or did not understand the meaning of this statement or maybe they wanted to say something else while speaking.
Question: If the Mahayuti comes to power, who will be the Chief Minister, are you in the race? Answer: Neither I am in the race of Chief Minister, nor am I in the race of Speaker. I am in no such race. BJP is my home, live here, die here, where else to go. Devendra Fadnavis is a nut who can fit anywhere, wherever the party fits this nut he will fit.
Fadnavis said, 'We are confident that we will form our government. As soon as the results come, the three parties will sit together and decide who will be made the chief minister. I am not in this process. I am a regional leader in my party, all this will be decided by the national president.
Question: Shinde was made CM, why should you not be? Answer: I knew from day one that we wanted Shindeji to be the Chief Minister. We wanted to show that whatever happened to Uddhavji was not for power. At that time I told the party that if I join this government, people will think that this man is so greedy for the post that he has been the Chief Minister for 5 years and is going back to some other post.
My party also agreed, but later when it was time for the swearing-in ceremony, my leaders told me that this is a very fragile government and it is very important to have an experienced person in the government at such a time. So I considered it my honor and joined the government.
Question: Are Mahayutti doors closed for Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray? Answer: It is definitely discontinued and no longer needed. The 2019 election has taught me that anything can happen in politics. There will be no need now. This time people will give decisive majority to Mahayuti.
Question: Does Raj Thackeray want to see you as Chief Minister? Answer: Raj Thackeray is also our friend and has come close to us ever since he converted to Hinduism. In a way he supported PM Modi unconditionally in the Lok Sabha elections. As far as their good wishes are concerned, I will definitely thank them for saying something nice about me, even if what they are saying is not true. The truth is that our three leaders will decide together who will be the Chief Minister.
Question: Is BJP accused of breaking NCP and Shiv Sena? Answer: I don't think it will have any effect. If there is anyone in Maharashtra who is an expert in breaking families, uniting them, splitting parties, uniting and breaking them again, it is Sharad Pawar. If we make a list of how many parties and families he has broken since 1978, he has to be called Bhishma Pitamah who breaks parties and families.
These two broken parties tried to create a slogan that BJP broke the party, but people know the truth. Due to his excessive ambitions the parties broke up, Uddhavji wanted to become Chief Minister, so he severed ties with us. After becoming Chief Minister, he wanted to bring Aditya Thackeray forward, so he tried to strangle Eknath Shinde.
Sharad Pawarji, on the other hand, villainized Ajit Pawar, who has been leading the party for 30 years, as he wanted to give the leadership to Supriya Tai. Ajit Pawar had no choice. It is due to personal ambition.
Question: Has Ulema Board written letters to Congress, NCP and Uddhav Thackeray to express support? Answer: Mahavikas Aghadi has started licking the soles of Muslim Ulemas. Now the Ulema Council has declared their support, they presented 17 demands and MVA has given a formal letter that we accept those 17 demands.
If someone puts forward a demand, accepts a demand, I have no objection to it. One of their demands is that the cases registered against the Muslim community during the 2012 to 2024 riots in Maharashtra should be withdrawn. What kind of politics is this?
Question: Is there any difference in Mahayuti regarding Adani Group? Answer: Shiv Sena (UBT) has always had a policy of opposing it when it is out of power and supporting it when it is in power. He protested and got the largest refinery to be built in Maharashtra canceled and when he became Chief Minister he wrote a letter to build a refinery here.
In this Dharavi project I floated a tender, Adaniji was not there when I allotted the tender, but after canceling that tender all the terms of the new tender were prepared by Uddhav Thackeray, his cabinet approved it. It was tendered on terms and Adani became the successful bidder, so the tender went to them, though the tender was not awarded to Adani Company, it was awarded to DRP in which we have stake.
Maharashtra government is a stakeholder in DRP and DRP is doing everything. So what they are saying that it was awarded to Adani is wrong… I say with full confidence that even in their time if Adani was the successful bidder in the tender, would they not have awarded the tender, would they have had meetings? Doesn't this happen with Adani?
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
