Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday launched his party’s campaign for the local body polls in Maharashtra by sending out a strong message to his party’s allies, saying that his party did not need the help of “crutches” and that his party had a “strong presence” in the State. Speaking after performing the bhoomi-poojan for the new BJP Maharashtra State headquarters at Churchgate in south Mumbai, Shah said, “In Maharashtra, the BJP does not operate based on any crutches, but stands on its own strength”.
“The BJP holds a powerful and enduring place in India’s political landscape. Likewise, in Maharashtra, BJP’s strong presence in the political arena is now beyond question,” Shah said. “Today is a very special day for all BJP workers, especially those from Maharashtra, as the Maharashtra BJP is about to mark a new beginning in history with the foundation ceremony of its new office. We all know that for us, the office is like a temple,” Amit Shah said.
In the run-up to the local body polls, Shah sent out a clear message to his party’s allies in the MahaYuti government in the state — the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar), after addressing two back-to-back functions, at which Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputies — Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were present.
Alluding to the BJP’s growth in Maharashtra, Shah said, “I am happy that the BJP has not only grown stronger in Maharashtra, but has also stayed true to its traditions. When the BJP was founded in 1980, our leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said — andhera chathega, kamal khilega’. In 1996, we witnessed Atal Ji become Prime Minister, and today, we proudly see Narendra Modi Ji leading the nation as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time”.
“In Maharashtra, the BJP-led NDA has been victorious three times and Devendra Fadnavis has become the Chief Minister for the third time. Maharashtra currently has a double-engine Government. However, I am not satisfied with just that — we want a triple-engine Government,” he said, underscoring the need for success in the forthcoming local body polls in the State.
Shah said that the Opposition would not even be visible through binoculars after the local body polls.
DEVENDRA Fadnavis clarifies on crutches remark
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified on Monday evening that the statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the BJP did not need the help of “crutches” in Maharashtra, saying that it was not targeted towards his party’s allies in the MahaYuti Government—Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar). Talking to media persons within hours after Shah laid the foundation stone for the new state headquarters, Fadnavis said that the vested political interests were trying to “misinterpret” the Union Home Minister’s statement to create a rift within the MahaYuti.
“Those who are questioning Amit Shah’s statement do not understand the meaning of ‘crutches’. Friends are not crutches,” Fadnavis said. Maintaining that the BJP’s coalition with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP “is built on mutual respect and shared governance goals”, Fadnavis said, “We are working as a strong, coordinated team for Maharashtra’s progress. Our alliance stands on principles and collective leadership, not dependency.”
Speaking after performing the bhoomi-poojan for the new BJP Maharashtra state headquarters at Churchgate in south Mumbai, Shah had said, “In Maharashtra, the BJP does not operate on the basis of any crutches, but stands on its own strength”. “The BJP holds a powerful and enduring place in India’s political landscape. Likewise, in Maharashtra, BJP’s strong presence in the political arena is now beyond question,” Shah had said at the function.