Last update:November 15, 2024, 11:22 p.m. IST

Fadnavis said the MVA alliance wanted to ban RSS in Maharashtra and criticized the caste politics of the Congress.

Fadnavis took credit for granting reservation to Marathas and criticized the MVA for supporting extremist forces in the state. (PTI)

As Maharashtra gears up for assembly elections next week, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has hit out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance (MVA), accusing the parties of supporting the extremist forces in the state and attempting to ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ).

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18Fadnavis raised the issue of a purported video by Islamic scholar Sajjad Nomani calling for a “vote jihad” to capture the Maharashtra government and then target the Centre. Nomani reportedly named Sharad Pawar, Rahul Gandhi and Uddhav Thackeray as the forces behind the movement.

After the video went viral, Fadnavis had accused the MVA of appeasement and called for a ‘dharma-yuddh’ to counter ‘vote jihad’. “Voting for jihad will not succeed… We will not let them succeed – they want to ban the RSS and we will not let that happen,” he said.

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He also said that the repeated attacks against his family, especially his wifehave been going on for many years with several armies of trolls under the leadership of veteran politician Sharad Pawar. “A senior leader like Sharad Pawar could not stop his own party from launching such trolls against my family,” he said.

“I am the home minister of the state and I can give you a list of the serving armies of Sharad Pawar’s party,” he added. This came after Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar stirred up a controversy when he took a dig at Fadnavis. couple explaining why the public should be responsible for ‘saving religion’, while the deputy chief minister’s wife makes reels on Instagram.

“Uddhav forgot the merits of his father”

Speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s challenge to Rahul Gandhi to publicly congratulate Bal Thackeray and Veer Savarkar, Fadnavis said that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will never be able to meet the challenge. “In the company of Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav has forgotten the merits of his own father and now calls him respected Bal Sahib and non-Hindu Hriday Samrat,” he said.

He also mocked the Congress’ reservation policy, crediting himself and CM Eknath Shinde with giving reservation to Marathas, which became a hot topic during the elections. He said the Congress is courting the Constitution, but their ‘red book’ is full of empty papers, just like empty promises, in an apparent reference to the recent Congress ‘red book’ row that the BJP linked to the “urban naxalism”. .

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“I have never seen a politician as confused as Rahul Gandhi in my life. After creating all kinds of confusion among voters about the impossibility of the Ladki Bahin project, they have now announced money (for women and girls) in their program, which shows little respect for women. he declared. CNN-News18.

“It is natural that every party…”: Fadnavis on becoming CM

On the prospect of becoming the CM of Maharashtra again after a BJP victory, Fadnavis said it was natural for every political party to want its leader to be the CM. “However, after the results, the ruling party and leaders of the three parties will meet and decide who will become the chief minister of the state,” he added.

Fadnavis also pointed out that the dream of introducing bullet train in Maharashtra could come true under the BJP regime as he had secured the required land, adding that all the pending projects blocked by Uddhav Thackeray were on the way to completion. ‘completion.

With less than a week to go, voting for the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20. Votes will be counted on November 23.