Rubbishing the talk about the Opposition launching the “Operation Lotus” in the State in April this year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday dared the BJP to pull down the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government forthwith.
A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar disapproved his decision to let the NIA take over the investigations into the 2018 Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case, Uddhav shared the platform with Pawar at a joint Sena-NCP-Congress convention at Muktainagar in Jalgaon district of north Maharashtra and slammed the BJP for its talk about launching “Operation Lotus” to bring down the MVA Government.
“I get to hear that the BJP is launching Operation Lotus in April. But, Rs Operation Lotus’ will not serve any purpose. The people of Maharashtra have already shoved the BJP aside and they will do so once again. Our Government will complete its full five year term. If it has guts, why wait till April, it can pull down our government forthwith,” Uddhav said.
Tearing into the BJP, Uddhav said: “We (Sena, NCP and Congress) have come together with the common intention of bringing out development for common man. But, ever since we assumed office in the state, the BJP is constantly criticising us. The BJP leaders have been saying that ours is ruling alliance of three different ideologies, will not last long and they would return to power once in the state. But, the fact remains that we are united and ours is a strong government”.
Without naming senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse in whose home town of Muktainagar the joint Sena-NCP-Congress convention was held, Uddhav said: “Muktainagar has come mukt (free) today. You all know from whom the town has become free from”
Eknath has long been considered a satrap of Muktainagar. His stock has eroded markedly ever since the BJP denied him party ticket and instead fielded his daughter Rohini from Muktainagar to contest the recent State Assembly polls. However, Rohini suffered a humiliating defeat at the the hands of an independent candidate Chandrakant Nimba Patil.
“There is a farmer in both Pawar and Pawar. Farmer is focal point of our government. There are no differences among the constituents in the MVA government,” Uddhav said, while speaking at the Appasaheb Pawar Modern Agriculture Award function at Jalgaon’s Jain Hills locality. Speaking on the occasion, Pawar urged the state government and the Centre to come with a concrete scheme to ensure drinking water supply to all areas in Marathwada and north-Maharashtra where there was considerable shortage of water. “Efforts should be made to change the living conditions of farmers in the state. The Centre should extend its cooperation to the state to implement special schemes for farmers,” the NCP chief said.