Constitutional machinery broken down: Devendra Fadnavis targets MVA govt

As the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra completed one year, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that the Constitutional machinery has completely broken down but the BJP was not seeking President’s rule.

“The judgements in Arnab Goswami and Kangana Ranaut case clearly reflect that the Constitutional machinery has broken down and there is an abuse of power but we are not demanding President’s rule,” said Fadnavis, a former chief minister. The BJP, he said, would continue to play the role of an “effective opposition”.

According to him, there has been a crackdown on RTI activists and people writing social media posts against the government.

“We do not fully subscribe to what Kangana Ranaut or Arnab Goswami says but it has to be noted that the government is cracking down on anyone who is speaking against them. The Supreme Court (in Arnab Goswami case) and Bombay High Court (in Kangana Ranaut) has said clearly that there is a gross abuse of power,” said Fadnavis, adding that "there seems to be an undeclared emergency."

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According to him, the government had failed on all fronts, and in the last one year, the new dispensation involving Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress has done only one job – to scrap the projects of the erstwhile BJP-led government.

“They (Shiv Sena) have not betrayed BJP, they betrayed the people of Maharashtra. They contested elections as a pre-poll alliance (with BJP), they sought votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then joined hands with NCP and Congress,” he said, referring to the political developments a year ago.

Referring to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar as a “seasoned politician”, he said that the veteran leader knows how to expand his party using Shiv Sena and Congress. “There is absolutely no coordination between the three parties,” he said.

Lashing out at Thackeray, he said, “I have never seen such a Chief Minister who goes all out threatening people… I heard that he is patient. Even I experienced it during the five years (of BJP-Sena government).”

Referring to the interview that Thackeray has given to 'Saamana' and 'Dophar ka Saamana' – which was conducted by Rajya Sabha member and journalist Sanjay Raut, he said: “Such a language is not expected from a Chief Minister…you compare Hindutva with ‘dhoti’.”

Fadnavis was referring to Thackeray’s statement – “What do you mean… we have left Hindutva…is this a ‘dhoti’? Hindutva has to be in the blood. We follow Hindutva that has been taught by my father (Balasaheb Thackeray) and grandfather (Prabodhankar Thackeray). Don’t get into teaching Hindutva. In this country, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj unfurled saffron and laid the foundation of (Hindavi) swaraj. This land does not follow the Hindutva of ‘dalals'.”

Fadnavis further said that he does not find it fit to comment on the 'Saamana' interview.

He said that on the Covid-19 pandemic, he had written more than 100 letters but not of them have been acknowledged. “He should work and behave like a Chief Minister,” he added.