Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday appealed to people to put aside other issues and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he kept everyone alive by making vaccines available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fadnavis sought votes over vaccines during his addresses at Madha and Barshi towns in 32Solapur district. The senior BJP leader held his first rally at Barshi, part of the Osmanabad parliamentary constituency, where Archana Patil of the NCP is contesting against incumbent MP Omraje Nimbalkar of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Madha falls under the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, where the BJP has renominated its sitting MP Ranjitsinh Nimbalkar against Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Dhairyasheel resigned from the BJP earlier this month.
“Put aside other issues and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he kept us alive during the pandemic. He took the initiative and under his leadership, India not only produced its own vaccine but also supplied it to other countries,” said Fadnavis. He was referring to India's 'Vaccine Maitri' programme under which anti-COVID jabs were supplied to several nations.
The country was not in a strong position before Modi came to power, he said.
“Earlier, people from Pakistan could easily come here and carry out terror attacks. The then prime minister would go to the US to complain about Pakistan, but nothing would happen. After Modi came to power, we retaliated by surgical strike and carried out airstrike to send out a strong message,” he said. Today, India is prospering while Pakistan is heading towards bankruptcy, Fadnavis said.
Asked about Dhairyasheel, a BJP ex-district general secretary and nephew of former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, Fadnavis said, “When Sharad Pawar had almost ended his (Vijaysingh's) political career, we (BJP) stood behind him. It is up to Mohite Patil now to decide the future course of action. I do not think all the members of the Mohite Patil family agree with Dhairyasheel's decision.”
