Nagpur, July 5(UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Eknath Shinde Government will successfully complete the remaining term and added that BJP will extend its active cooperation to it.
Fadnavis was speaking to media during the ‘meet-the-press’ programme organised by Press Club here.
He said Eknath Shinde Government will successfully complete the remaining two-and-a-half years and BJP will extend its active cooperation to it.
He also said that they (BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena) will win the 2024 elections with a majority.
The DyCM further said that the people had given mandate to BJP during 2019 elections but Shiv Sena preferred to make alliance with the NCP and Congress Party to come to power.
"I had then said that such unnatural alliance would not last long and the government will collapse," he pointed out.
"A group within the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray was not happy over the leadership and his distraction from Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva" he said.
"The uneasiness was clearly seen among the group of Shiv Sena leaders, led by Eknath Shinde, resulting in other parties becoming stronger," he said adding that hence Eknath Shinde rebelled with 40 legislators with the thought that Hindutva concept would be trampled and therefore the group preferred to join hands with BJP, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister further said he never insisted on holding the top post. In fact, it was his proposal to make Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister and he wanted to remain out of government.
However, The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda asked him to be part of the government and hence he was inducted as the deputy CM, he said pointing out that he did not consider himself as parallel to CM and would cooperate the present government.
Launching a scathing attack on the Thackeray Government, Fadnavis said that it failed to give momentum to the process of development in Maharashtra.
Fadnavis assured that the new government would launch projects that would achieve progress of industries, farmers and other fields. It will also do justice to backward regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada but at the same time will take care of Western Maharashtra.
He also assured that the government would submit the awaited report regarding OBC reservation to the court.
UNI PK RKM