Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that he was willing to have an open debate with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on the outcome of Maharashtra Assembly elections as the latter has levelled allegations that Maharashtra elections were rigged.
Fadnavis was speaking in Mumbai on the occasion of the completion of 11 years of Narendra Modi government in office.
Fadnavis stated that Maharashtra got more funds for development during the BJP government tenure as compared UPA government tenure from 2004 to 2014.
"The 11 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre saw a changed India and a new work emerged. Maharashtra received ten times more funds during this period compared to the UPA rule," said Fadnavis.
Fadnavis stated that projects such as the metro network, Mumbai coastal road, trans-harbour Atal Setu, Wadhawan port and Navi Mumbai airport which were stuck for several years got expedited after Modi came to power. Rs 1.75 lakh crore-worth railway projects and Rs six lakh crore-worth infrastructure projects are underway in the state, he added.
He pointed out that, the state received Rs 1.23 lakh crore from the Centre during UPA rule whereas it received Rs 10.5 lakh crore since 2014, which is a more than ten-fold increase, he claimed.
The Union government has been working on investment in the suburban railway network in Mumbai, passenger amenities and safety, Fadnavis said against the backdrop of an accident in Thane district on Monday where four commuters died after falling off a local train during rush hour.
According to Fadnavis, the Mumbra train accident was “unfortunate”. "The railway minister spoke with me for 45 minutes on the safety issues. He told me that additional trains will be introduced on the suburban routes with more air-conditioned trains. If automatic doors are installed, the government will work on ventilation as well. AC trains will be introduced without increasing the fare," he said.
Talking about Maoism, he said only a few active Naxals were left in Maharashtra. "When the Congress was in power in Chhattisgarh, there was more recruitment (by the Naxalites). After the BJP returned to power there, anti-Naxal operations are in full swing. Naxalism is now in its final stages and will be wiped out completely by March 2026,' Fadnavis informed.
To a question about Rahul Gandhi's letter alleging rigging of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, Fadnavis said the Election Commission had asked Gandhi to write to it. "Congress had highlighted the same points through an RTI (Right to Information) query and got a 60-page reply from the EC. Now the Congress has no other point to highlight," Fadnavis said.
Rahul Gandhi had no reply to the EC's letter and was telling lies, the BJP leader alleged, adding, "He is following the strategy of confusing people as he cannot convince them.'
'I haven't heard Congress's polling booth agents pointing out any irregularities during the polling and counting. Congress did not write to the EC about any irregularities in the voters' lists. All this is being done to hide electoral failures. Until Gandhi introspects, Congress will not succeed," Fadnavis said.
The chief minister also said he was ready to have a debate with Rahul Gandhi if he wished so. “I have responded to all the points raised by him in his newspaper article with proof...I am not required for a debate with him, even my (party) worker can do that,” he added.
