&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "If MVA was not removed, Maharashtra would have been left far behind: Chief Minister Political News")
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, saying “Maharashtra would have been left far behind” if the Uddhav Thackeray-led government had not been removed.
Addressing the Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, Shinde emphasized the stability of his administration, adding that while many predicted his government would collapse within months, he has already completed two years in power.
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“Earlier, everyone thought that the Shinde government would fall in 2-3 months, but we have completed two years. If the MVA government had not been removed, Maharashtra would have gone back much further,” the CM said.
Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister after the Shiv Sena (Individual) broke ties with its long-time ally the BJP and formed the MVA alliance with the NCP (Individual) and Congress after the November 2019 legislative elections .
However, he resigned in June 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion that toppled the BJP-backed MVA government.
Reflecting on the revival of the Dharavi redevelopment project, Shinde said, “The Dharavi project was cancelled, but after our government came to power, we restarted it. To the people of Dharavi, I say: Let the opposition say what it wants; Our government is committed to giving you good homes.”
Shinde expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving Marathi the status of a classical language. “I thank the Prime Minister for this recognition. I also express my gratitude for the 'Ladli Didi' project, which was originally conceived by Asha Tai in 1992,” he added.
The Union Cabinet recently granted classical language status to Marathi along with Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, speaking at his party's Dussehra rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park, announced plans to build temples dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in all districts of Maharashtra.
Accusing the Mahayuti government of exploiting Shivaji Maharaj's legacy for political gains, Thackeray said, “They built a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj just to vote, but that statue was broken. I promise that when we come to power, we will build a Shivaji temple. Maharaj in all districts of Maharashtra.”
A 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district, unveiled during Navy Day celebrations on December 4, 2022 and inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, collapsed on August 26, 2023.
The toppling of the statue sparked a political debate, with opposition leaders criticizing the Shinde government.
Thackeray also accused the BJP of using Shivaji Maharaj's name for electoral gains. “For them, Shivaji Maharaj is just a vote bank, but for us he is God,” Thackeray said.
The two rival factions of the Shiv Sena, one led by Shinde and the other by Thackeray, held separate rallies on Dussehra, each seeking to show their strength ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.
The Maharashtra Assembly, comprising 288 seats, will go to polls later this year. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the election calendar.
The upcoming elections will be contested between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Power Dal), and the Congress and Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath). Shinde Group and NCP (Ajit Pawar Group).
(Only the title and image for this report may have been reworked by the Business Standards team; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a distributed feed.)
