Fadnavis calls CJP 'Congress Jitao Programme', targets Rahul Gandhi outreach
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday called the CJP "Congress Jitao Programme", and accused the Opposition of focusing on individual issues after failing to defeat the BJP on ideological grounds.
Speaking at the BJP's state-level convention in Pune, Fadnavis also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's youth outreach programme, "Chhatron Ki Goonj", calling it "Jhooth Ki Goonj" (echo of lies).
Speaking about women's issues, he also asked why the Congress did not give an opportunity to lead to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
"The Opposition has realised that it cannot win the battle of ideology. That is why the battle has now shifted to issues. But we cannot afford to lose even this battle. We have to win it and defeat their fake narrative," Fadnavis said.
Drawing an analogy with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's guerrilla warfare tactics, Fadnavis said the BJP now needed to adopt innovative methods to counter attacks from the Opposition.
"Like the Mavlas (soldiers) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, it is now time to launch an offensive," he said.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress came out with the Bharat Jodo campaign, but it was not its own narrative, he said.
"There were 180 different NGOs. I had said in the assembly that of these 180 NGOs, the majority had been tagged as 'urban naxals' by the UPA government. By bringing all these entities together, Congress created a narrative against BJP. Congress knew that such entities do not have baggage, they have no accountability and they do not have to fight elections and one can not raise questions about them....these entities spread lies every day during the Lok Sabha elections and we were answering them," he said.
He also accused the Opposition of trying to build narratives around issues including the Ram temple in Ayodhya and condition of Zilla Parishad schools.
"An attempt was made to create a narrative that there was something wrong with the Ram temple," he said.
Referring to the Cockroach Janta Party, Fadnavis said, "CJP is not a small group. It is essentially a Congress Jitao Programme. The people associated with it are only the face, there are others working behind them.
"See who is attending the meetings of the CJP. They are those same 180 entities....These same people are now coming up with new names," Fadnavis said.
On Rahul Gandhi's "Chhatron Ki Goonj" programme, Fadnavis said, "Chhatron Ki Goonj is actually Jhooth Ki Goonj."
The BJP needed to adapt its communication strategy to reach the younger generation, which increasingly gets information through social media platforms, Fadnavis said.
"The youth today is focused on mobile phones and social media. We are still on Facebook, while Instagram has become a major source of news for them. To counter fake narratives, we need the appropriate tools and a new approach," he said.
Fadnavis called upon the BJP Yuva Morcha to enroll at least 10 lakh "Yuva Warriors" from among the nearly two crore people in the 18-26 age group in Maharashtra.
Talking about the state government's achievements, he said that Maharashtra has the highest number of start-ups in the country and accounts for 39 per cent of foreign investment coming into India.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that irregularities had occurred in some competitive examinations, and said the government was working to ensure transparent recruitment examinations.
His government waived farmers' loans and Rs 48,000 crore in electricity bills, and set up 72 hostels for OBC students, he said.
The state government was working to make one crore women "Lakhpati Didis", Fadnavis said. The Vadhavan port project, which had been shelved in 1992, was now being implemented and would generate 10 lakh jobs in Palghar district, he claimed.
Fadnavis also targeted the Congress over its criticism of his government, asking why Congress leaders did not focus on the performance of Congress-ruled states.
On women's reservation, he said the Narendra Modi government enacted a law providing 33 per cent reservation to women, and the Congress opposed it.
"The real champion of women is Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said, while questioning why Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was not given an opportunity when the Congress had the chance to do so.
Commenting on the ongoing debate in Pune over the use of DJs and loudspeakers during the Ganesh festival, Fadnavis said the city had the potential to show the rest of Maharashtra how the festival could be celebrated in accordance with tradition.
"I am confident that instead of getting into a controversy over whether Ganeshotsav should be celebrated with or without DJs and loudspeakers, Punekars will choose to celebrate the festival entirely in the traditional way," he said.
Reacting to Fadnavis's comments, state Congress leader Sachin Sawant said they showed how the chief minister, like PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had lost his sleep due to Gen Z.
The entire country was now chanting "Congress Jitao", he said.
