The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra unit president Chandrakant Patil on Monday said State Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik should not make “baseless allegations” against former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“Apparently the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi has nothing to say on serious issues facing Maharashtra such as distressed farmers, rising atrocities against women and the agitations of desperate transport department drivers. Twenty-nine drivers have committed suicide thus far, but the State Government has no answer. So, this Government asks somebody [Mr. Malik] to raise some issues to divert the public’s attention,” Mr. Patil said.
Exhorting the NCP leader to stop his “baseless allegations”, Mr. Patil said Mr. Fadnavis had always shown “remarkable restraint” while directing any criticism towards a ruling party leader and had certainly never commented on anyone’s wife or family. Mr. Patil also claimed that Neeraj Gunde, whom Mr. Malik accused of having shadowy connections, was in fact a “clean and good social worker”.
“Nawab Malik has been levelling one baseless allegation against NCB officer Sameer Wankhede after another…. But the entire society is behind Wankhede,” said Mr. Patil.
He also dared the MVA leadership and Mr. Malik to investigate those against whom they had been making allegations.
Mr. Patil said Maharashtra had been ravaged by heavy rain and floods, but no compensation for farmers had been given. “In the Marathwada region alone, 38 lakh hectares were ravaged while 11 lakh hectares of agricultural land was eroded. Farmers have not yet received any compensation nor any crop insurance despite the announcement of a ₹10,000-crore package.”
