Page 24 - Devendra Fadnavis

Thackeray govt suffered from 'policy paralysis', says Deputy CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government suffered from "policy paralysis" when it ruled the state for 31 months. Addressing a public rally in Satara district's Maan tehsil, he said an "inactive government" assumed office in November 2019 and it was not concerned about problems being faced by people of drought-prone areas. Fadnavis assured local BJP MLA Jaykumar Gore that till the time their fight against drought in the region was not over, he would stand by people in their struggle. "Today, the ground-breaking of a lift irrigation scheme at Jihe-Katapur was performed. A total of 15,000 hectares of land will be irrigated under the scheme. This land would have come under irrigation by now as we had completed all formalities but we went out of power (in 2019). "After that, an inactive government assumed office, which had nothing to do with the Maan region, had nothing to do with the drought-like situation ...

Shah enough to handle Manipur, no need of PM Modi: Fadnavis to Uddhav

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was enough to handle the situation in violence-hit Manipur and there was no need for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the north-eastern state for that purpose. His statement comes days after Shiv Sena (UBT) president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray targeted PM Modi, asking why he was undertaking a tour of the US instead of visiting Manipur to restore peace there. Fadnavis once again credited PM Modi for taking initiative in developing anti-coronavirus vaccines in India and said it was because of him all 140 crore citizens of the country were administered doses free of cost or else "crores of people would have died". Addressing a rally at Karad town in Maharashtra's Satara district, Fadnavis said without naming Thackeray, "A few days back, a leader from Maharashtra said that PM Modi is visiting America but not Manipur. I would like to tell him that our Union minister ...

Sarbananda Sonowal seeks faster Sagarmala execution from Maharashtra govt

The two ministers also discussed the ambitious Vadhavan Port. Low draft depth of Indian ports has been an issue plaguing the maritime economy for long

No Muslim in India descendant of Aurangzeb, our king is Shivaji : Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday that no Muslim in India is a descendant of Aurangzeb, and nationalist Muslims in the country do not recognize Mughal emperor as their ruler

Focus on work, do not let media set agenda: Fadnavis at legislators' meet

After a war of words between the BJP and ally Shiv Sena over a newspaper advertisement, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cautioned on Friday against deviating from the agenda of nation building. Fadnavis was speaking at the inauguration of the first National Legislators Conference organised by the MIT-School of Governance and attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, presiding officers of assemblies and nearly 2,000 legislators from across the country. "I have seen that often the media decides the agenda for us. We are so desperate to appear in the media that we forget our own agenda," he said amid a row over the newspaper advertisement that projected Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as a more popular leader in the state than his deputy. Fadnavis urged the legislators attending the conference not to deviate from the agenda of law making and contributing to the progress of the nation. He said democracy took root in India centuries ago and continues to thrive even today

Shiv Sena ad claims Shinde more preferred as Maharashtra CM over Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Tuesday placed a full-page advertisement in many newspapers titled Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra, quoting a survey where Shinde is shown as more preferred for the top post than BJP's Devendra Fadnavis. The ad prompted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to call the party Modi-Shah's Shiv Sena. The advertisement carries Sena's bow-and-arrow symbol and images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Shinde. It has no image or photo of Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray, a noticeable departure going by its earlier publicity materials. For the chief minister's position, 26.1 per cent of the people in Maharashtra desire Eknath Shinde and 23.2 per cent of the people wish to see Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister, reads the advertisement. Thus, it is undeniable proof that 49.3 per cent of the people in Maharashtra wish to see a strong alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena for their state's leadership, it said.

Fadnavis falsely claiming that warkaris weren't lathi-charged in Pune: Cong

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Monday alleged home minister Devendra Fadnavis was falsely claiming that warkaris- devotees of Lord Vitthal- were not lathi-charged by police in Pune district a day before. "Video clips of the lathi-charge are self-explanatory. What is Fadnavis trying to achieve by making a false claim that no such incident had taken place? The comments of Fadnavis regarding this incident are irresponsible and insensitive, he said. According to police, an argument broke out on Sunday between warkaris and police during a procession at Alandi town when devotees were scrambling to gain entry into Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi Mandir. Fadnavis had denied reports of lathi-charge and maintained that it was a minor scuffle. Patole said Fadnavis asking political parties not to instigate people over the incident is like "a thief lecturing the police". "If he cannot handle the home department, why is he blaming the warkari community for it?" the Congress lead

How Amruta Fadnavis' chat helped police arrest bookie Anil Jaisinghani

The chats are part of the 733-page chargesheet submitted by the Mumbai police against Anil Jaisinghani, his daughter Aniksha and cousin brother Nirmal

Cabinet expansion soon, timeline to be decided by CM Shinde: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state cabinet will be expanded soon and the timeline will be decided by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He also said Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, and BJP will fight all elections together, which was discussed during their meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. "Maharashtra cabinet will be expanded soon. CM Shinde will decide when it will happen," he told reporters. On August 9 last year, 18 ministers were inducted in the Shinde-Fadnavis government after it came to power in June, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members. However, neither Shinde nor Fadnavis had given a specific timeline for the expansion of the council of ministers. Earlier, Shinde in a tweet informed that he and Fadnavis met Shah in Delhi on Sunday night. "Yesterday, we (Shiv Sena and BJP) discussed fighting all elections together and planning the joint strategy. We have

Maharashtra govt's new financial scheme to pay Rs 6,000 to farmers annually

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that more than ten million farmers will be benefitted from the state government's scheme

Expansion of Maharashtra cabinet soon, says Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis

The expansion of the Maharashtra cabinet will take place soon, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. He was replying to media queries on cabinet expansion of the state government, which took charge on June 30 with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis being sworn in. On August 9 last year, 18 ministers were inducted, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members. "Cabinet expansion till take place soon," Fadnavis told reporters. He also dubbed Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and Shive Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, both bitter critics of the Shinde government, as "bol ghevda", a Marathi term to describe chatterboxes prating endlessly.

Existing Parliament was a council hall: Fadnavis praises new building

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the current Parliament structure was actually a council hall and for the first time, the country will have its own full-fledged Parliament building. The senior BJP leader was speaking to reporters here, a day after as many as 20 opposition parties announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28. The opposition parties have accused the BJP-led Centre of denying President Droupadi Murmu, the first Adivasi woman President, her constitutional privilege to inaugurate the new Parliament building. Fadnavis said, One should not forget that the current Parliament building was actually a council hall. For the first time, India is going to have a full-fledged Parliament building. The deputy CM said there have been many instances in the past where state heads inaugurated important government buildings instead of inviting respective governors of

Maha CM, Dy CM take test drive on under-construction Trans-Harbour Link

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday inspected the under-construction Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project, India's "longest" sea bridge that will reduce the travel time between the metropolis and and its satellite city Navi Mumbai, by taking a test drive on it. The chief minister termed the project as "game changer", while Fadnavis said it will be considered an "engineering marvel". The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the project, also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, a 22-km long and six-lane access-controlled expressway grade bridge. The bridge begins at Sewri in south Mumbai and terminates at Chirle near Nhava Sheva in neighbouring Raigad district. An MMRDA official said it is the longest sea bridge in the country. A small function was held on the deck of the bridge, following which Shinde and Fadnavis went for a test drive towards Navi .

Uddhav govt did nothing for farmers hit by rains, crop loss: Fadnavis

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government under Uddhav Thackeray did not do anything for farmers distressed by unseasonal rains and crop loss and relief was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde dispensation, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Addressing a gathering of BJP functionaries in Katol here, he said the Shinde government had started various farmer welfare schemes after coming to power in June last year, adding that 12-hour daytime power supply will begin for the agriculture sector soon under the CM Saur (solar) Krishi Yojana. "The Uddhav Thackeray government did not do anything for farmers hits by unseasonal rains that damaged crops. Financial assistance was provided to them by the Eknath Shinde government. The Maharashtra government has set aside Rs 3,000 crore for drip irrigation, cotton shredders and will implement four schemes for farmers," he said. Expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win upcoming polls in the ...

Gadkari requests Maha govt to consider shifting of proposed thermal project

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has written a letter to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to consider shifting of the proposed 2x660 MW thermal power project from Koradi in Nagpur to another location. In the letter dated May 14, Nagpur Lok Sabha member Gadkari mentioned that the NGO 'Vidarbha Connect' has said the power project can be set up at Parshivni (Parseoni) in Nagpur district. Gadkari cited a letter and concerns raised by the NGO which has requested for consideration and cancellation of the proposed 2x660 MW thermal power project proposed at Koradi in Nagpur on the ground of health hazards and to shift it to another location. The Union minister said the NGO's representation states that Mahagenco is planning to erect a new thermal power project with a total capacity of 1,320 MW at Koradi. The present power generation capacity of Koradi thermal power station is 2,600 MW and falls in the Nagpur metro region limits. The units at Koradi are adding to the health ..

Maha sets up SIT to probe forceful entry attempt into Trimbakeshwar temple

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday ordered setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for a probe into the alleged attempt by a group of people from a different religion to force their way into the famous Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik. Security guards at the Trimbakeshwar temple had thwarted the group's attempt on Saturday night, a temple trust official said on Monday. As per the temple management, only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple - one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The temple trust had submitted a complaint to the police. Some video clips of the incident went viral on social media platforms. The office of Fadnavis in a statement said an officer of the additional director general (ADG) rank will head the SIT. The SIT will not only conduct a probe into this incident, but will also investigate a similar incident which took place last year at the same temple. A group representing certain community had entered the temple, Fadnavis

MVA will never be able to form government in Maharashtra: Fadnavis

"Maha Vikas Aghadi's dream of forming the government (in Maharashtra) will never be fulfilled as BJP-Sena will be re-elected," he said

Maha govt will teach lesson to those who want unstable state: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said there are some organisations and people who want the state to be unstable, but the government will teach them a lesson. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis also said those instigating riots will be exposed and the government will not let them succeed. Notably, clashes broke out between members of two communities in Maharashtra's Akola city on Saturday night over a social media post. One person was killed in the violence and eight others, including two policemen, were injured. In March, at least 12 persons including 10 policemen were injured after a mob of around 500 people hurled stones and petrol-filled bottles when the cops tried to control the situation following a clash between two groups near the Ram temple in Kiradpura locality of Aurangabad district. Fadnavis said, It is 100 per cent true there are some people and organisations that want the state to remain unstable. But the government will expose them an

Fadnavis sends 'wish-list of names' for Mumbai infra-projects to CM Shinde

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanding that various critical infrastructure projects coming up in Mumbai be 'named' after top icons

Karnataka results won't have impact in Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the Congress won in Karnataka because some votes of the Janata Dal (Secular) got transferred to it, and the results would not have any repercussions in Maharashtra or elsewhere. Congress was headed for a comfortable majority in the BJP-ruled Karnataka as vote counting was on. "Karnataka election results will not have any impact nationally or in Maharashtra. The Modi government will come (to power again) nationally and the BJP-Shiv Sena in Maharashtra," Fadnavis told reporters here. Assembly elections are due in Maharashtra next year. The Janata Dal (Secular) lost a five percent vote share compared to 2018, and these votes got transferred to Congress which is why it won this time in the neighbouring state, the BJP leader further said. The BJP's vote share did not decrease, he added. "Some parties" think that they have won the country but there is a difference between Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections, .