Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar will take the decision on the disqualification of MLAs and other issues at an appropriate time and if anyone tries to pressure him in any way, then it won't be compatible with the country's free and fair legal process. Fadnavis was speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, a day after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on last year's political crisis that led to the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government following a rebellion by Eknath Shinde. Later, Shinde joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister, with Fadnavis becoming his deputy. To a question about Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray hinting that they might approach the SC if a decision on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs is not taken within a month, Fadnavis said the SC has given all such rights to the Speaker and given him reasonable time as well. If anyone tries to pressure the .
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Mumbai is the safest among metropolises in the country. Fadnavis, who also handles the home portfolio, was speaking after inaugurating the Women's Security Project of Navi Mumbai Police. After the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case of 2012, awareness about women's safety increased, laws dealing with crimes against women were tightened in Maharashtra and now women's complaints are heeded immediately, he said. Although the number of crimes against women has increased, it is important to note that more and more women are coming forward to report such crimes, Fadnavis said. No other metropolis in the country is as safe as Mumbai, he said, adding that in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai women feel safe because of the prompt response of police and the Nirbhaya squad. Women in these cities can travel alone even late at night due to the vigilant and efficient police system, Fadnavis added. As our country and cities are big, maxi
Eknath Shinde will continue to be the chief minister of Maharashtra and the next elections will be contested under his leadership, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday. His comments came as political circles in the state are on the edge a day ahead of the verdict of the Supreme Court on petitions pertaining to the 2022 Shiv Sena-centric political crisis, caused by Shinde's revolt against Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Queried on whether Shinde will step down from his post in the event of an adverse ruling regarding the disqualification of 16 MLAs of his camp, Fadnavis said this discussion has no meaning. "I am sorry to use the word but it is an arena of idiots. I am telling you that Eknath Shinde will remain the chief minister and we will contest the next elections under his leadership. Why would Shinde submit his resignation? There is no need to indulge in any kind of speculation. What mistakes he had made? Fadnavis asked. A five-judge SC constitution bench headed by Ch
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said banks asking for CIBIL score from farmers before allotting crop loans would face FIRs. If a bank is found asking CIBIL score from farmers seeking crop loan, then an FIR should be filed against such bank. A decision is already taken by the state-level banking committee that the CIBIL score condition cannot be applied during crop loan disbursement. The Reserve Bank has also issued a circular regarding the same," Fadnavis told reporters in Amravati after holding a kharif season review meeting for the eastern region of Maharashtra. He said if some banks are going to harass farmers unnecessarily, then the government will have no other option but to register an FIR against such banks. He said some banks in Amravati have diverted the subsidy amount deposited into the bank accounts of farmers towards loan repayment. Not all the banks have been doing it, but some banks in Amaravati are found indulging in such practices. I h
Did Sharad Pawar get his timing right to save NCP and unify the Opposition?
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday arrived in Mauritius, where he will unveil the statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. During his visit, Fadnavis will also meet representatives of various Mauritian companies in an event organised by Mauritius India Business Community, an official statement said. The deputy chief minister will attend an event with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to sign tourism-related agreements. As per the statement, Fadnavis and Jugnauth will attend a cultural event organised by the Maharashtrian community in the island country during the day and unveil a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. On Saturday, he will interact with members of the Maharashtrian community, it said, adding that he will also call on Mauritian President Prithvirajsing Roopun.
"BJP's high command is in regular communication with Fadnavis and he himself has asserted that Eknath Shinde will be the chief ministerial face (of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance) in next year's elections"
Fadnavis further added, "I don't know what is going on within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. I have repeatedly said that they are calling Vajra Muth but that Muth has many cracks, it can never be Vajra Muth"
Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government had "red flagged" development works but the current dispensation is committed to fast-track various projects. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader was speaking after performing the groundbreaking ceremony and laying a foundation stone for various projects in Bhayandar city in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. "The previous MVA government had not given enough funds for the development of Mira-Bhayandar township. That government had shown a red flag to overall development but the current government (of Shiv Sena-BJP) is committed to bringing development and will ensure that projects are expedited," he said. Fadnavis said the upcoming Mahavir Bhavan in Bhayandar will fulfil the needs of Jain monks and others for camping. He said the upcoming metro line in the region has been extended up to Uttan, a coastal town in the Thane district. Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio
Human trafficking is more dangerous than murder, and social awareness coupled with a strong legal framework was needed to curb it, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, was speaking virtually at a panel discussion on 'Prevention of commercial sex trafficking of women', organised jointly by the Maharashtra State Women Commission and 'Alliance against Centres for Trafficking' here. "Human trafficking is a very big challenge before us. It is said that drugs trade is the biggest trade in the world but unfortunately human trafficking is to some extent, along with drugs trade, becoming a big trade. Women and children are most vulnerable to it," he said. Its victims suffer a lot, and it is a far more dangerous crime than murder, the deputy CM added. Human trafficking is an issue transcending boundaries, and social awareness and a people's movement along with a strong legal framework were needed to curb it, he ...
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday appeared before a court here in connection with an application seeking action against him for alleged non-disclosure of criminal cases in his election affidavit in 2014. Fadnavis's statement would be recorded by Civil Judge V A Deshmukh after which the court will hear final arguments in the matter. Satish Uke, an advocate, had filed the application seeking criminal proceedings against Fadnavis alleging that cases of cheating and forgery had been registered against the BJP leader in 1996 and 1998 but he did not disclose this information in his poll affidavit ahead of the 2014 assembly elections. Uke is presently in jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of money laundering.
Maharashtra will earn Rs 50,000 crore from the securitisation of rights of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, which can be loosely termed as a sale, and it will ease the financial burden on the state over its construction, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday. The 701-kilometre six-lane corridor, which is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 55,000 crore, passes through 10 districts and the 520-kilometre Nagpur to Shirdi stretch was inaugurated in December last year. Speaking at an event organised by Marathi news channel Mumbai Tak, Fadnavis said, "By securitising the rights, which loosely can be described as sale, Maharashtra government will earn Rs 50,000 crore. With this, the state will be free in the next two years from the debt of constructing the Samruddhi Expressway." "It will remove the state's financial burden and the money raised through securitisation can be used for other issues," he added. Asked about Maharashtra lagging behind some other ..
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the India Meteorological Department is going to release its final report on the south-west monsoon forecast later this month and that will reveal if the El Nino weather pattern will cast a shadow on the June-September rains, leading to deficient precipitation. Speaking to reporters at Amravati in the Vidarbha region, he said the state government has anyway started preparations to tackle situation arising of a possible shortfall in monsoon rains. India is likely to experience below-normal monsoon rainfall this year, with a 20 per cent chance of drought due to the end of La Nina conditions and the potential for El Nino to take hold, private forecasting agency Skymet Weather said earlier in the day. The private forecaster has predicted the northern and central parts of the country may see a rain deficit, with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra expected to witness inadequate showers during the core monsoon months
Unseasonal rain in the last two days damaged crops over 7,400 hectares in five districts of the western Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday. The intermittent showers affected crops in Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim and Buldana districts. Crops over 7,400 hectares are damaged. The damage assessment is completed on 3,243 hectares. The remaining assessment will be completed soon. As many as 7,596 farmers have been affected by the unseasonal showers, Fadnavis told reporters in Amravati district after holding review meetings. It is observed that certain villages in specific areas in the state have been frequently affected by unseasonal showers in the last few years. "We are working to find some solution to the new challenge of climate change, the deputy CM said. Fadnavis said the kin of those killed in the Akola tree fall incident would get financial assistance from the state. "The government has also decided to bear the entire med
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased in the Akola Babuji Maharaj temple incident
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with fellow Shiv Sena MPs and MLAs, will visit Ayodhya on Sunday
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday called Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a "failed" home minister while claiming the law and order situation in the state was bad and farmers were committing suicide. An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not even giving a warning to China after it changed the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. Pakistan is being issued hollow threats, but what about China which has made "incursion" in the Indian territory, it said. Earlier this week, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray dubbed Fadnavis a worthless home minister after a woman worker from the Thackeray-led faction was allegedly attacked by activists of rival Shiv Sena in Thane. Fadnavis had then hit back saying he was a "bullet" (kartoos), while Thackeray was a weak chief minister who had sacrificed his ideology for the sake of power and need not be given importance. Notably, the Supreme Court recently made strong
Referring to Fadnavis' claim that he was not a 'fadtus' (useless) - as labelled by Thackeray - but a "kartoos" (cartridge), Raut took a swipe, saying it was more like a "wet kartoos"
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the incident of a mob allegedly attacking police personnel in Aurangabad city, now named Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, was unfortunate and appealed to leaders to avoid making provocative statements and giving political colour to it. A mob of more than 500 people allegedly attacked policemen on Wednesday night after some youth clashed among themselves. The incident, which lasted around an hour, took place in Kiradpura locality, which has a famous Ram temple where a huge crowd is expected to celebrate the Ram Navami on Thursday, police officials said. Speaking at his residence in Nagpur on the violence, Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said, "The incident that happened in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is very unfortunate and efforts are on to maintain peace in the area. However, some people are trying to vitiate the atmosphere there by giving provocative statements." "I feel that political leaders should know ho
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Adani group which has won the tender for Dharavi redevelopment will get the Letter of Intent (LoI) only after it establishes that it has the financial capability to execute the project. He was replying after Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad, whose constituency includes Dharavi, raised concerns about the project in the wake of Hindenburg Research's allegations of stock manipulation against the Adani group. Gaikwad also asked if a fresh tender will be floated for the project. Fadnavis asserted that the tendering process was transparent. There was a global tender and three parties responded to it. The bids of two parties were proper and the highest bidder among them was awarded the contract, he said. "So it is incorrect to say that the process was flawed. The LoI has not been issued yet. This is because it is issued only after all the departments take that decision. "There is one decision (yet to be made) from the