Party’s Drishtipatra focuses on Modi’s model of good governance
Within days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi categorically ruled out the possibility of the NDA Government resorting to a “division” of Maharashtra, the Maharashtra BJP on Friday skipped the mention of a separate statehood for Vidarbha in its manifesto for the October 15 State Assembly. However, the party reiterated that it continued to support the creation of smaller States for ensuring better governance.
The 31-page manifesto titled Drishtipatra (vision document), released by the Maharashtra BJP, focused Modi’s model of good governance emphasising development in 17 sectors, including infrastructure, economy, employment, security, health and social justice.
Among other things, the BJP promised in its manifesto, to provide 90 per cent subsidy to drip irrigation, scrapping of toll plazas, and unpopular local Body Tax (lBT), implementing "water for all" policy, extensive use of Information Technology by setting up an independent development corporation, promoting Modi's pet ideas like skill development, digital India and a memorial for late Dr B R Ambedkar
However, the BJP — which had come under severe flak from all other political parties for its alleged move to carve out a new state from Maharashtra — refrained from making a reference to the creation of a separate Vidarbha State.
Queried as to why the party had avoided making a mention of the Vidarbha statehood issue in its manifesto, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said: "The manifesto speaks about various issues. Some aspects may have been excluded, but that does not mean they cannot be included at a later stage".
Reiterating that the BJP continued to prompted the concept of "smaller state for better governance", Bhandari said: "Our Drishtipatra is all about what we are going to do in the next five years,"..
On whether separate Vidarbha would not be a reality in five years to come if BJP came to power, Bhandari said: " It is not written here that we would not do so".
Informed BJP sources said that the party's reluctance to push the Vidarbha statehood issue stemmed from the fact that it had come in for severe criticism from various political parties for its alleged move to carve out the new state from Maharashtra. So much so that Modi resorted to a damage-control exercise on Tuesday last, by categorically stating that the NDA government had no plans to either split Maharashtra or carve out Mumbai from the State.
Addressing an election rally at Dhule in north Maharashtra, Modi had said: "They say that Maharashtra will be broken into pieces. Has anyone been born in this country who can divide the land of ShivajiIJ" I assure that as long as I am sitting in Delhi, no force on earth can divide Maharashtra".
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena also released its manifesto stating that it was committed to "Akhand Maharashtra" (undivided Maharashtra).