NCP, Cong made false promises, did nothing: Fadnavis

Asserting that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will return to power in Maharashtra with an "unprecedented" mandate, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said his government worked for the weaker sections of the society and tried to transform their lives.

He also criticised the opposition Congress and NCP for "not doing anything" except giving "false and misleading" promises during the 15 years of their rule before the BJP-Sena government came to power in 2014.

As part of the election campaign, Fadnavis addressed public rallies at different places in Solapur district on Thursday.

While addressing a rally at Mangalwedha, he said, "Congress and NCP did not do anything for 15 years except giving false and misleading promises. But after our government came to power five years back, we worked for the poor, downtrodden, tribals, minorities, farmers, OBCs and women, and tried to bring about a transformation (in their lives)."

The BJP-Shiv Sena government stood behind the farmers in the last five years and gave the biggest farm loan waiver, which benefited 50 lakh farmers.

"But let me tell you that monetary relief alone is not enough. We will have to provide water for farming through sustainable irrigation. During the five years, we carried out several watershed management projects through the Jalyukta Shivar programme," he said.

Urging the voters to elect Sudhakarpant Paricharak, a candidate of Rayat Kranti Sanghatana, which is an ally of BJP and Sena, from the Pandharpur-Mangalwedha constituency, Fadnavis said the saffron alliance is bound to come back to power.

"If you elect him, several projects will gain momentum in the region," he added.

According to Fadnavis, under the BJP rule, Maharashtra has secured number one place in business, employment generation and health.

"When our government came to power, the ranking of Maharashtra in education was 16 or 18, but in the last five years, the state has secured third position and we will bring it to number one position," he said.

He added that as the Zilla Parishad schools are turning digital, more than one lakh students, who were earlier studying in private schools, have got themselves enrolled in ZP schools.

The chief minister added that with the blessings of the voters, BJP and Shiv Sena alliance will come back to power and the government will get a chance to execute some big projects, like turning Maharashtra into a drought-free state.

While addressing a public rally at Malshiraj later, Fadnavis took a dig at the opposition parties saying the BJP- Sena do not know who they are fighting the election against.

The BJP has fielded Ram Satpute from Malshiraj.

"The condition of NCP and Congress is such that even if our (BJP-Shiv Sena's) wrestler is willing to fight, no opponent is ready to enter the arena," he quipped.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi, he said that while the elections are being fought here, the Congress leader is touring in Bangkok.

"From NCP, some have gone to the BJP, while some to the Shiv Sena, while the remaining ones are going behind Sharad Pawar," he said.

"This situation itself explains that the election results are crystal clear and that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will get an unprecedented victory," he said.

He also took a dig at the manifesto of the opposition parties and said that he would be not surprised if they promise to build a Taj Mahal for every family in the state.

The chief minister said that his government was committed to eradicating drought from the affected region through the ambitious project of diverting water from the rain-abundant parts of the state to the rain-deficit ones.