Gopinath Munde united OBCs and other sections Fadnavis

    Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 11 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recalled on Monday the inclusive social engineering by BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, who united OBCs and other sections of society.
    Fadnavis unveiled a 14-feet-tall statue of Munde in Latur and virtually inaugurated a 5 MW solar power generation project.
    "Politicians should learn from Munde, who brought OBC together while ensuring that no other section is sidelined. He was the leader of all communities who never wavered from his stated position. He has also supported the renaming of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University," he said.
    When a community is prospering, there is no need to hate another community, he said.
    Fadnavis stated that Munde was loved by the masses because he strived for the prosperity of all communities.
    "Politicians should follow Munde's vision of inclusivity without holding grudges against any other community," he said.
    Fadnavis recalled Munde's achievements, including becoming Maharashtra BJP unit president at the young age of 35, shouldering the responsibility of leader of the opposition in the assembly, and becoming the home minister.
    "Ruling parties used to be on their toes anticipating Munde's speech when he was the opposition leader. On the contrary, leaders today make statements in the air, and the media too doesn't counter them," he said.
    Munde was a strict home minister who is credited with introducing the stringent MCOCA to curb crime.
    "During his tenure, a bullet was answered with a bullet. He had exposed scams through a Sangharsh Yatra", Fadnavis said.
    He recalled that joint efforts by Munde and Bal Thackeray fostered a Shiv Sena-BJP alliance which came to power in 1995.
    Fadnavis said Munde never compromised on his principles and endeared himself to the masses by taking up their cause.
    "He taught me not to compromise on principles, and I am following his advice to date", Fadnavis added.
    He said that had Munde been alive, he would have become one of the shining stars in the Union cabinet.
    Munde, a former deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, was appointed as the Rural Development Minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he assumed office in 2014.
    He died in a road accident in the early hours of June 3, 2014.
    Fadnavis, meanwhile, said the government would divert 54 TMC of water that goes into the sea to the parched Marathwada region.
    Munde hailed from Beed in Marathwada.
    "His dream of bringing a railway to Beed will be fulfilled soon. The coach factory in Latur will generate employment for 10,000 people once the production starts next year," the chief minister said.
    State minister and Munde's daughter Pankaja said her father had declared her his political heir.
    He taught me not to harbour a grudge against opponents, Pankaja said, stressing that she was following her father's footsteps.
    Former minister and Pankaja's MLA cousin, Dhananjay Munde, said he and Gopinath Munde struggled for the cause of the common man.
    "It was our dream to see Gopinath Munde become the chief minister of Maharashtra. With the blessings of Munde, Fadnavis became the chief minister for a third time," he added.
    Dhananjay said Guardian Minister Shivendraraje Bhosale can help in developing rural areas in the Parli assembly constituency in Beed.
    Responding to Dhanajay's appeal, Bhosale said, "My pockets are open. No need to complain to higher authorities".

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)