Aaditya shouldn't try to become 'Maharashtra's Pappu': CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday mocked Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray for his presentation on the alleged voter roll discrepancies in his assembly segment, saying he should not try to become ''Maharashtra's Pappu".

''I know Aaditya and didn't expect him to do 'pappugiri'. His presentation yesterday was a replica of what (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi has done earlier. He (Aaditya) shouldn't try to become Maharashtra's Pappu. All that the Opposition is doing is cover firing," Fadnavis said.

"They know defeat is imminent and people are not with them. Their conduct is a mockery of democracy,'' the CM told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

Ahead of the local body polls in the state, Thackeray on Monday alleged discrepancies in the voters' list in his Worli assembly constituency in Mumbai, including a mismatch in names, photographs, addresses and even the gender.

"This is not an error but fraud," the Sena (UBT) MLA alleged while addressing his party workers here.

The "battle will begin" when parties get the draft electoral rolls, he said while urging party workers to thoroughly study the voters' list in each ward ahead of the election to the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The local body polls in the state are to be completed by January 2026.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has levelled "vote chori" (vote theft) allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission, a charge denied by both the ruling party and the poll body.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis also said the cabinet took a review of the Rs 31,628 crore relief package for flood-hit farmers announced before Diwali.

So far, Rs 8,000 crore have been released and credited to the bank accounts of 40 lakh farmers, he said, adding that the cabinet on Tuesday approved the release of another Rs 11,000 crore. The amount will be transferred to farmers in a fortnight, he said.

Replying to questions on the relief package, he said Rs 21,000 crore will be deposited directly into the bank accounts, out of which Rs 8,000 crore have been released and a sanction was given for Rs 11,000 core today. Besides, Rs 1,500 crore will be released separately, he added.

Fadnavis said farmers should register with the authorities concerned before the procurement of their produce.

If traders are paying them the MSP, they should sell the produce to the private traders. If the farmers register with government procurement centres and give their produce to them, then the price as per the MSP will be transferred to their bank accounts, he added.

Fadnavis said the cabinet has also approved the revised cost of the Solapur-Tuljapur-Dharashiv railway line of Rs 3,295 crore.

The cost will be shared by the state and central governments. The railway line will boost religious tourism as Tuljapur and Pandharpur temples are located on the route.

The cabinet has also approved the 'Viksit Maharashtra 2047' document prepared by all government departments after consulting seven lakh stakeholders. The draft comprises objectives to be achieved by 2030, 2035 and 2047 and will be published soon, the CM said.