Page 22 - Devendra Fadnavis

Drugs worth Rs 50,000 crore seized in Maharashtra in recent past: Fadnavis

The Maharashtra police have seized drugs worth about Rs 50,000 crore in the state in the recent past, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative assembly on Friday. He was replying to a question by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Ravindra Waikar, who represents the Jogeshwari East constituency in Mumbai. In a major haul, the Mumbai police recently seized 151 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore and arrested more than a dozen persons from several cities in an operation that also included a raid in a factory in MIDC Shinde Gaon in Nashik district. The police have seized drugs worth Rs 50,000 crore in the recent past. The police discretely tracked 2,200 small shops (selling drugs) in Mumbai and removed them to curb the menace of drugs, said Fadnavis. The deputy CM, however, did not specify the exact period during which the drugs were seized. The state government is keeping a watch on chemicals being imported which could be used to make drugs. We have also found that cl

Centre to buy unsold onions: Maha Dy CM amid protests against export ban

The Centre is ready to purchase onions from farmers which remain unsold or cannot be auctioned even as attempts are being made to find a way out in view of the export ban, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative council on Monday. He was replying to a query raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Ambadas Danve, who sought to know the measures being taken by the state government in view of the ban on the export of onions. Fadnavis' statement comes in the backdrop of his meeting with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in Mumbai on Saturday night regarding the issues faced by cultivators in the state. "Farmers are badly affected by unseasonal rains. The ban on export of onions by the Central government is not in the interest of farmers, who are forced to resort to protests in Maharashtra," said Danve, who belongs to Shiv Sena (UBT). He questioned whether the state government would take up the onion export ban

Stop close people from speaking against Marathas: Jarange to Fadnavis

Quota activist Manoj Jarange has claimed there are some people close to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who speak against the Marathas and appealed to Fadnavis to restrain them from doing so. Speaking to reporters in Latur on Sunday night, Jarange also said he has faith in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde that he would give reservation to the Maratha community and reiterated his demand for the quota by December 24. The activist is currently touring parts of Maharashtra to raise awareness about his demand of reservation for the Maratha community. He was in Latur on Sunday night where he spoke to reporters. "This is my last request you can say. They (leaders in Maharashtra) should see that there should be no disgruntlement among people. There are five-seven people who speak about Maratha (community) and are close to Devendra Fadnavis," Jarange claimed without taking any name. "Fadnavis needs to understand that there should be peace in the state," he said. The Marath

Will demand to withdraw FIRs against Maratha protesters: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday told the legislative assembly that the state government was taking necessary action on the demand to withdraw cases filed against pro-Maratha reservation protesters in Jalna district. The police had used mild force against the Maratha protesters in Jalna, he said, adding that 79 police personnel and 50 persons were injured during the face-off. Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said this in his written reply to questions asked by more than 20 legislators on the Maratha quota issue. "The state government will review the cases filed against the protesters involved in the Maratha quota agitation and take appropriate action. The government has also sent some of the police officials on compulsory leave and later transferred them out of the district," he said. Activist Manoj Jarange had sat on an indefinite fast in the last week of August at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. However, the agitatio

Row in Maharashtra assembly over Nawab Malik's induction in ruling alliance

Malik is out on medical bail after the ED arrested him in February 2022 in a money-laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides

Govt positive towards demands for Maratha reservation: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the government is positive towards addressing demands raised by Marathas and efforts are underway to give reservation to the community. A delegation of the Maratha community met Fadnavis in Pandharpur town of Solapur district where the deputy CM and his wife performed puja at the temple of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini on the occasion of Kartiki Ekadashi on Thursday. The community has been demanding reservation in government jobs and education. In a post on X, Fadnavis said, I have assured the Maratha community that the state government is positive towards their demands. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has assured to give reservation to the community. We are standing behind him with full support. The issue will be solved for sure. Efforts are underway to give reservation to the Maratha community, he said. The delegation also demanded that the state government provide a piece of land for the construction of Marath

KCR works for his family, while PM Modi works for people: Devendra Fadnavis

Only BJP can change the face of the politics in Telangana, Telangana BJP President, Kishan Reddy said

India a $4 trillion economy? Adani to Fadnavis hail, but no official word

Billionaire Gautam Adani to two Union Ministers and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis among others on Sunday hailed India crossing USD 4 trillion mark though there was no official confirmation if the country has achieved the landmark. The finance ministry and the National Statistical Office did not immediately comment on the viral social media post on India's GDP crossing USD 4 trillion. Highly placed sources said that the viral news was incorrect and India was still shy of that landmark. An unverified screengrab from the live tracking GDP feed for all countries based on International Monetary Fund data has been widely shared on social media, including by many including senior BJP leaders. It is very difficult to have live tracking of GDP numbers of all countries as numbers of various sectors of the economy are available with a lag. "Congratulations, India. Another two years to go before India becomes the 3rd largest nation in terms of Global GDP by overtaking Ja

'If Nath's engine is attached to Modi govt, train of development will stop'

Calling on voters in Madhya Pradesh to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the development of their state will come to a halt if the Congress won the elections. Campaigning for the saffron party ahead of the November 17 assembly polls, he also accused Congress leaders of forgetting election promises after coming to power. "At present, there is a double engine BJP government in Madhya Pradesh (with BJP ruling in the state and at the Centre), but if the Congress comes to power by a small mistake, the train of development will stop, because the engine of the Narendra Modi government will try to take this train forward on the path of progress, and (Kamal) Nath government's engine will pull it backwards," Fadnavis said at a rally in Indore-3 constituency. . Prime Minister Modi has introduced a new model of welfare of the poor and inclusive development, the BJP leader added. The Congress is promising freebie

Maharashtra police officials with drug links will be dismissed: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said state police personnel with drug links will not just be suspended but also dismissed from service. Talking to reporters here, Fadnavis said anyone involved in the manufacturing and peddling of drugs will be booked under harsh laws. People involved will face strict action, but those police officials found to be involved (in drug trade) will not just be suspended but also dismissed under (Article) 311 (of the Constitution), Fadnavis said. Constitution's Article 311 pertains to the dismissal, removal or reduction in rank of persons employed in civil capacities under the Centre or a state. The state police have undertaken a campaign to make Maharashtra drug-free and raids are being undertaken in every district, he said. Work is happening at the national level and the inter-state movement of gangs involved in the drug trade is being monitored, he said. The state police have confiscated drugs worth hundreds of crores

Rahul Gandhi, CM Bhupesh Baghel have short-term memory loss, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi and Bhupesh Baghel suffered from short-term memory loss as they have forgotten the promises they made to the people

Maharashtra CM Shinde to remain CM even if he is disqualified: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will not be disqualified and in case that happens, he will be elected as an MLC and will retain his post. The Supreme Court on October 17 granted state assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar a final opportunity to give it a realistic time-frame for deciding the cross-petitions filed by rival factions of the Shiv Sena seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs following a split in the party last year. The apex court is scheduled to hear on Monday pleas filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar bloc of the NCP, seeking a direction to Narwekar to expeditiously decide disqualification petitions against some MLAs. Speaking to TV9 Marathi channel on Saturday, Fadnavis said, The first thing is that Shinde will not get disqualified. Even if he gets disqualified, we will get him elected him to the legislative council and he will retain the chief minister's post. The next ..

Fadnavis knows everything about Oppn, how come he is unaware of drug mafia

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday accused Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of shielding the drug mafia in the state, referring to the recent seizure of mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore by the Mumbai police. Raut was interacting with reporters before joining a march in Nashik to protest the growing menace of drugs in Maharashtra. Fadnavis knows everything about the opposition. How come he doesn't know about the drug mafia? He is shielding the drug mafia and those who are taking haftas' (protection money)', he said. Calling Lalit Patil, a main accused in the Rs 300-crore mephedrone seizure case, the tip of the iceberg, Raut said, In fact, the friends of drug mafias are sitting in the assembly. It's the plight of Maharashtra that we have such a home minister (Fadnavis), Raut said. The arrest of Lalit Patil has triggered a war of words between the ruling dispensation and the opposition in the state. Hours after the news of Patil's arrest came on Wednesday, ..

Congress says pollution rising in Mumbai; demands MVA 'action plan'

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad has claimed the city's air quality index has surpassed the danger level in the last few days due to which people are suffering from respiratory problems, and asked the Maharashtra government to implement the previous MVA regime's climate action plan. She also demanded an audit of expenses of all projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and criticised the manifold increase in their costs. "The state government should at least take into account views of the opposition parties in matters of public interest," Gaikwad said in a statement. She demanded that the government implement the Mumbai Climate Action Plan prepared during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime. "A few years ago, Delhi had the worst air quality level, but Mumbai has overtaken Delhi too. The heat and humidity has also increased due to smog. This is affecting the health of Mumbaikars and there has been an increase in respiratory diseases," she said. According to a ...

Pawar should condemn terrorism, not think of vote-bank politics: Fadnavis

Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday targeted NCP chief Sharad Pawar, saying that he should strongly condemn terrorism and shun vote-bank politics while talking about the Israel-Palestine issue. Pawar, a former defence minister, had said earlier this week that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements on the Hamas-Israel war seemed to convey a different position from the one articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In a post on social media platform X, Fadnavis said, My request to Sharad Pawar ji is not to think about vote-bank politics, but strongly condemn terrorism. India has never changed its position on the Israel-Palestine dispute. However, at the same time, India has been consistently against and has always strongly opposed terrorism in any form and against anyone. When the entire world has condemned the killing of innocent people in Israel and India did the same, Shri Sharad Pawar ji should also speak in the same language against ...

'Mahayuti' to focus on winning 45 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said constituents of the 'Mahayuti' (grand alliance) will now focus on winning 45 out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, in the general elections due next year. Mahayuti comprises the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). Targeting Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for reaching out to socialist parties, Shinde told reporters here that the move to join hands with socialist leaders amounts to "adulteration" of the Hindutva ideology. Thackeray, while addressing leaders of 21 socialist parties in the state on Sunday, claimed differences with them were mainly ideological which can be settled for the cause of democracy. The Sena (UBT) leader had also said "many of them may be Muslims but they are nationalists who want to protect the country's democracy". CM Shinde was speaking to reporters during visit to a Navaratri programme in Thane city shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Asked ab

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Will raise Muslim quota issue with CM Shinde and Fadnavis: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said he had held a meeting with the state minorities department minister and officials and would raise the Muslim quota issue with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to find a road ahead. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the NCP leader said he recently held a meeting with state minorities minister Abdul Sattar, officials from the concerned departments, and representatives of some organisations on the issues concerning the Muslim community. "Topics related to Maulana Azad Mandal, Wakf Board properties, and other issues were discussed at the meeting," he said. Pawar recalled that Muslims were granted the quota in education and government jobs (when the UPA government was in power). "The (high) court accepted the reservation (for Muslims) in education, but the quota in jobs was rejected. The Right To Education (RTE) Act was brought by the government for equal education later," he said. Pawar said he told the meeting that it was the opini

Fadnavis visits Nagpur rain-affected areas; says plan needed for Nag river

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday morning took stock of the rain situation in Nagpur and visited homes to interact with flood-affected families. Extremely heavy rainfall of 109 millimetres in three hours, including 90 mm between 2am and 4am on Saturday, inundated several areas of the city, he said. The National Disaster Response Force and its state counterpart SDRF are undertaking rescue and relief operations across Vidarbha's largest city, he informed. "As many as 10,000 homes have been affected. Mud has entered houses. The administration is providing medicines and help in cleaning up flood affected areas. The level of damage is serious. The amount of rainfall was higher than carrying capacity of the area," he told reporters. "We could have minimised the damage if some measures were taken earlier. The IMD had given an orange alert but it could not predict this much rain would fall in such a short time. There is always something to learn from such ...

Maharashtra govt won't disturb OBC quota in any way: Dy CM Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government is clear about not disturbing the OBC quota in any way, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday amid protests to oppose the inclusion of the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class category for reservation purposes. Fadnavis appealed to OBC members to end their protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Chandrapur. Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Fadnavis said, The state government has taken a clear stand about not touching, reducing or sharing the OBC quota. Hence, we request the OBC community to withdraw their agitation. The deputy CM said he personally requested the agitators in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he attended a special cabinet meeting earlier in the day. I believe that those (protesters) in Sambhajinagar will end their hunger strike, he said. Fadnavis said those agitating in Chandrapur and Nagpur should also withdraw their protest. I will be meeting those in Nagpur and request them to withdraw their .