Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis issued a sharp retort on Monday to those questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) performance in Pune, suggesting critics should first examine their own track record. His comments, made without naming anyone directly, were widely seen as a response to recent allegations of corruption leveled by his deputy, Ajit Pawar, against the BJP's governance in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies.
Campaign Rhetoric Heats Up Ahead of Polls
Fadnavis indicated that while his focus for the upcoming January 15 elections for 29 municipal corporations was to speak on urban development, he felt compelled to respond to opposition criticism, particularly in Mumbai. "If I do not speak there, some people may think we are weak," he stated, an allusion believed to be aimed at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray.
The political landscape is complex, with ruling Mahayuti allies BJP and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) contesting against each other in both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Notably, Ajit Pawar's NCP has entered an electoral alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar's NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
A History of Accusations and Counter-Accusations
The friction stems from recent statements by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who alleged that development in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad had stagnated due to the BJP's corrupt governance. He also pointed out the irony of being in a government with those who had previously accused him of corruption.
State BJP president Ravindra Chavan was quick to retaliate, warning that if the NCP chief began speaking against the BJP, it would create trouble for him. On Monday, it was Fadnavis's turn to address the criticism head-on.
Fadnavis Points to Pune Metro as Development Proof
"The political campaign in Pune is heating up, with members from both sides speaking against each other," Fadnavis observed. He cautioned that revisiting the past to discuss Pune's development would be problematic for some, as they would struggle to list their own contributions to the city.
To substantiate his party's work, the Chief Minister cited the example of the Pune Metro project. He claimed that before the BJP won the PMC elections in 2017, the then-governing party (NCP) had only made announcements about the Metro, but the project never took off. "It was only after BJP started governing in 2017 that the project gained momentum," Fadnavis asserted, positioning the Metro as a tangible achievement of his party's administration.
This exchange underscores the simmering tensions within the ruling alliance as they head into competitive civic polls, with each partner seeking to claim credit for development and deflect blame for shortcomings.
