Page 20 - Devendra Fadnavis

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BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil writes to Fadnavis citing threats from allies

Maharashtra BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil has written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing some functionaries of "ally partners" in his home turf Indapur tehsil of Pune district of using foul language against him and threatening not to allow him to move freely in his former Assembly constituency. Patil is a former MLA from Indapur who was defeated by undivided NCP's candidate Datta Bharne in the 2019 state elections. Post-split in the Sharad Pawar-founded outfit, Bharne is now with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is an ally of the BJP in the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition in the state, 'Mahayuti'. "The Maha alliance (Mahayuti) government in Maharashtra is working properly under your guidance. However, I am being targeted in my own tehsil (Indapur) by functionaries of ally partners, who are making baseless remarks and using foul language against me in political congregations," claimed the former state minister in the letter posted on ...

Water availability in state's dams at 44%, down from 61% in 2023: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said water availability in dams in the state is just 44 per cent as compared to 61 per cent last year. Speaking in the Legislative Council, Fadnavis said the condition in drought-prone Marathwada region was a matter of concern in view of the approaching summer. "The condition in Marathwada division is a matter of concern. Last year, (this time around) Marathwada had 47 per cent water in its dams. This year the storage is just 24 per cent. The region needs special prioritisation (with regards to water management)," the deputy CM said. Nagpur division has 54 per cent water storage as against 55 per cent last year, while Amravati has 66 per cent, up from 57 per cent, which will suffice in summers, he added. "Last time around the water storage in dams was 61 per cent, but this year it is 44 per cent. It is necessary to effectively manage water. Water will be first prioritised for drinking, then agriculture, followed by ...

CM Shinde should not listen to Fadnavis: Maratha quota activist Jarange

Quota activist Manoj Jarange has said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should not listen to Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and spell out why the notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas was not being implemented. Jarange made the remarks late Sunday night after CM Shinde said the activist must not test the patience of his government. Speaking in Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district earlier on Sunday, Jarange alleged Fadnavis was trying to kill him. He also announced that he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of the deputy CM. Jarange had also claimed that a poisoning attempt was made against him through saline, though he did not elaborate on it. He was speaking to reporters on the eve of the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. Jarange later left from Antarwali Sarati and stopped at Bhamberi village in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar while on way to Mumbai. The Maharashtra legislature during a one-day special session last Tuesday ...

Activist Jarange accuses Fadnavis of sabotaging Maratha quota protests

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday alleged that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was conspiring to sabotage protests staged by the community for reservation in government jobs and education. Addressing a gathering at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange claimed that Fadnavis was trying to defame him by roping in people to malign his image. When the lathi-charge happened during protests in Jalna last year, Fadnavis had to apologise. This hurt him deeply, so he is trying to sabotage the Maratha quota protest, the activist said. He claimed that the state government was run by Fadnavis, not Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The activist alleged that Fadnavis was trying to threaten the Marathas in the state, and the move would backfire on him. He further said, Unfortunately, some Maratha leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were helping Fadnavis defame me. Jarange warned that he would begin a protest

Need to take action if drug haul probe throws up int'l links: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday hailed the Pune Police for busting the "country's biggest" drug racket and said action needs to be taken if foreign links come to light. Police seized 1,700 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 3000-3500 crore from Pune, Delhi, Sangli and other cities and arrested eight persons so far. Fadnavis, who heads the state Home Department, declared a Rs 25 lakh reward for investigating officers who blew the lid off the racket. "Police will dig out all links of the drugs trade ring. We need to investigate this racket even in other states," he said. At an event held at the Pune Police Commissioner's Office, Fadnavis felicitated the officers. "I would like to congratulate Pune Police for busting the drugs racket. I think this is the country's biggest action. For the past few months, we have been running a 'drugs-free Maharashtra' campaign. If this drug racket has links in foreign countries we need to take action. I declare an award

Maha to roll out policy to boost defence manufacturing: Devendra Fadnavis

A new aerospace and defence policy will be formulated to provide a boost to defence manufacturing in Maharashtra, deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday. Speaking at the inauguration of 'MSME Defence Expo', a three-day event organized at Moshi in Pimpri Chinchwad near here, he said Pune has developed an ecosystem conducive for defence manufacturing in recent years. "Maharashtra is leading the country in defence manufacturing. We host the Air Force Maintenance Command, Army Southern Command, the Indian Navy Dockyard, Hindustan Aeronautics facility, Mazgaon Dockyard, National Defence Academy, and several DRDO laboratories," he said. BDL's missile production facility is coming up near Amravati, the deputy CM noted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi "recognized the country's real prowess", he said, adding that earlier India was dependent on other countries for defence equipment. "Today, countries like US, Russia, France and Germany are powerful because their defence ...

Pernod Ricard India to invest Rs 1,800 crore to set up malt distillery

The distillery, one of the biggest in India, will have a capacity of up to 60,0000 litres per day and 13 million litres annually

Maharashtra BJP felicitates new Rajya Sabha MPs including Ashok Chavan

All three of them were elected unopposed to the upper house on Tuesday

Mega defence expo to be organised in Pune between Feb 24-26: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said a mega defence expo will be organised by the state government in Pune from February 24 to 26. Speaking to reporters here, he said the state government has requested Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to attend but a confirmation on whether he would visit has not been received as yet.

Maharashtra cabinet ministers to visit Ayodhya soon: Deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said state cabinet ministers will soon visit Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, were the idol consecration of the Ram Temple took place on January 22. Fadnavis, however, did not share further details. Queried on similar temple disputes in Kashi and Mathura, Fadnavis told reporters an amicable solution within the legal framework would be found the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured the Ram Temple was constructed in Ayodhya (following a Supreme Court verdict). Asserting that Mathura, Kashi and Ayodhya are all sacred places, Fadnavis said after the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, it is natural for people to expect solution to the dispute in Mathura (Krishna Janmabhoomi) as well. "I believe just as the Ram Temple got constructed due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi will also be resolved with harmony and within the framework of the law," the senior BJP leader said. "A new corri

Real power of democracy now realised by those who murdered it: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said those who murdered democracy after the 2019 state assembly elections have now realised the real power of democracy. His remark came a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and also allotted the party's poll symbol 'wall clock' to his group. The decision came as a setback to party founder Sharad Pawar. "The Election Commission's decision is a victory of democracy and majority, especially in view of what happened after the 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra. People's mandate was rejected and democracy was murdered at that time," Fadnavis said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the undivided Shiv Sena had contested the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections together. But after the results, the Sena snapped ties with the BJP and joined hands with the NCP and the .

EC's declaration of 'real' NCP shows power of democracy: Fadnavis

The Commission provided the Sharad Pawar faction with a one-time option to claim a name for its new political formation and provide three preferences

Submitted resignation to CM Shinde as he allocates portfolios: Bhujbal

Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who has opposed the reservation to Marathas under the OBC grouping, on Sunday said he had submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as he is responsible for the allocation of portfolios. Notably, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has not yet reacted to the announcement made by Bhujbal at a rally on Saturday that he resigned on November 16 but kept mum on the advice of the chief minister and the Deputy chief minister. Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has said that Bhujbal's resignation has not been accepted. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be able to clarify, he told reporters. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday dubbed Bhujbal's disclosure about his resignation a 'hogwash' and suggested that the NCP leader and BJP were hand in glove. The Shiv Sena led by Shinde, BJP, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) are the constituents of the Mahayuti government. Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of NCP, including Bhujbal, joined t

Bhujbal attempting to damage Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis: Maratha activist Jarange

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday said Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal was trying to "damage" Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis with his statements about the Maratha reservation. The minister has accused the state government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the OBC quota and claimed that he resigned from the state cabinet in November last year. Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, has alleged that the process of gathering data to determine the Maratha community's backwardness through a survey by the state backward classes commission is flawed. Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna, Jarange rubbished Bhujbal's allegations that fake and overwritten records were being used to get the reservation for the Maratha community. He (Bhujbal) doesn't understand anything. There is a law, a government, a committee and scholars working on this issue, but Bhujbal doubts his own ...

Minister Chhagan Bhujbal's resignation not accepted: Deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said the resignation of senior OBC leader and state cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal has not been accepted. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be able to clarify on this, Fadnavis told reporters late Saturday night. Bhujbal, who has accused the Maharashtra government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), on Saturday said he resigned from the state cabinet on November 16 last year. He further said that he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the deputy CM asked him not to speak about it. Talking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "The chief minister will be able to clarify on this, but I can only say as of now that Bhujbal's resignation has not been accepted by the chief minister or me." Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, on Saturday reiterated that he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation b

No injustice to any community, says Dy CM Fadnavis on Maratha reservation

Maharastra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday clarified that there will be no injustice done to any community

Maharashtra Dy CM Fadnavis vows to support, promote Marathi language

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday reaffirmed the state government's commitment to promoting and preserving the Marathi language. He was speaking at the Vishwa Marathi Sammelan in Navi Mumbai. Highlighting the rich heritage and unique qualities of Marathi, Fadnavis emphasized the need for collective efforts to achieve its universality, an official release said. He called upon institutions working in the field to collaborate with the newly established Marathi Language University. Recognising the importance of education in the mother tongue, Fadnavis expressed support for the Centre's New Education Policy promoting vernacular languages, it said. He lauded Maharashtra's pioneering move to offer engineering courses in Marathi and pledged to provide district-level funding for language preservation initiatives, said the release. Fadnavis highlighted the contributions of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Saint Dnyaneshwar, urging the audience to take pride in Marathi's glor

Maratha quota stir: Protest peacefully, says Maharashtra deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said everyone has the right to protest but it should be done peacefully, amid opposition allegations that the government is taking the Marathas for a ride. Talking to reporters on Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's plan to march to Azad Maidan in south Mumbai to press for their demands, Fadnavis, who is also the state's home minister, said protests should be done in a peaceful manner without disturbing law and order. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said he supports reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is trying to resolve the issue through talks, he said. State Congress president Nana Patole accused the government of disturbing social harmony and said the Maratha quota should be granted in a constitutional manner. The 50 per cent cap on reservation should be removed which will pave the way for the (Maratha) quota. Jarange should be given protection and if he is har

Mira Road clash: One held for provoking people; govt says 'zero tolerance'

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that there will be zero tolerance against anyone who tries to take the law into their own hands and attempts to disturb the law & order situation