‘Uddhav Thackeray got a lot of opportunities’: Devendra Fadnavis talks to NDTV

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray of violating the He failed to deliver on the “many opportunities” given to him by the people of Mumbai during his tenure as minister.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV editor-in-chief Sanjay Pujaria, Fadnavis claimed that the Eknath Shinde government was forced to address issues that Mumbai should have addressed years ago.

Mr Fadnavis told New Delhi TV: “The people of Mumbai gave many opportunities to Uddhav Thackeray but he took no action. Not a single iconic building in the city was completed or built by him. “

Mr. Thackeray resigned as Maharashtra Chief Minister in June 2022 following a mutiny within the Shiv Sena. A split ensued and the Maharashtra Assembly held a floor test with Sena leader Eknath Shinde as chief minister and Fadnavis named deputy . The Sindhi wing of the Sena has joined forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party and is currently the ruling party in the state.

Fadnavis lashed out at Thackeray for what he called his “anti-Modi stance” and ruled out any possibility of an alliance with his party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

“There is no scope for any such attempt (possible alliance with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena). You can note that. I don’t know if he is trying. From our side, no The scope and scope make no reason for this. The role he has played, the anti-Modi role… I feel sad that for vote bank politics, he is now indulging in pseudo-secular appeasement politics,” he said in Hindi.

“He was against the Citizenship Amendment Act. I find it difficult to understand that Bal Thackeray’s son can do that. So I think these groups are now divided,” he added.

On a possible deal with Mr Thackeray’s cousin Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Mr Fadnavis said: ” We have not started any alliance talks with Raj Thackeray. We believe in regional identity. Raj Thackeray talks about Marathi while also talking about Hinduism. I will not say that no alliance is possible, but, we There are three partners in this alliance, so it’s difficult to add new ones.”

Mumbai’s sewage problem

Mr Fadnavis praised the government’s work in India’s financial capital and highlighted the city’s sewage problems.

“The work being done in Mumbai today should have been done 20 years ago,” Mr Fadnavis continued. “Mumbai has a lot of sewage. This water flows into the ocean through dubious tanks built during the British rule. That’s why some of our beaches stink.”

Last month, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a proposal to expand its urban renewal mandate to include construction of railway overpasses, national highways and sewage treatment plants.

“Once we have replaced the Uddhav government and we have received tenders, we can guarantee that not a single drop of dirty water will enter our oceans in the next three years. Mumbai’s beaches will be similar to those in foreign countries,” Fadnavis Mr. added.

“Uddhav Thackeray said we don’t need bullet trains,” Mr Fadnavis said, referring to the former chief minister’s order in 2019 to review the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. “When we are in power, we work like bullets. In the next 2.5 years, you will be traveling on bullet trains in Maharashtra.”

About participating in the Lok Sabha elections

With just a few weeks left for the Lok Sabha elections, when asked if he would contest the polls, Mr Fadnavis said: “We have announced 20 seats in Maharashtra so far. People All the seats where I was thought to be running have been announced. So, there shouldn’t be any discussion about that (about his candidacy).”

The BJP has announced candidates for 20 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra. The party is allied with Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP in the state.