Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to NDTV editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia

Mumbai:

‘Vote jihad’ and fake narratives will not work in the upcoming Maharashtra election and the Mahayuti alliance will return to power after the November 20 polls, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today.

Mr Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, spoke at NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event which saw the biggest newsmakers in Maharashtra politics share their insights on the upcoming election.

“Vote jihad was the real (factor) in Lok Sabha election. People from a particular community voted against the BJP. The aim was to remove Modi. It will not work this time,” Mr Fadnavis said.

The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance won just 17 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) put up a stellar show.

In a separate interaction with NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia, Mr Fadnavis said the Maharashtra voter does not give fragmented verdicts. “During the Lok Sabha election, Maha Vikas Aghadi created a fake narrative. We have countered it with a straight narrative. Now people know they lied. They said (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji would come and change the Constitution and end reservation. So, people voted for Rahul Gandhi and MVA. And Rahul Gandhi went abroad and said the need for reservation is declining and they will end it. Their lies have died and our truth is out. So we will be elected,” he said.

The BJP leader was referring to Mr Gandhi’s remark during his recent visit to the US during which he said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place.” The remark sparked a massive row back home, with the BJP slamming the Congress leader and saying it would not allow reservations to be scrapped.

On the Dalit vote factor in Maharashtra polls, Mr Fadnavis said, “Dalit voter is important. But, in a large state like Maharashtra, no single community can decide the election. The Dalit voter had gone away from us due to fake narratives in the Lok Sabha election, but they have returned.”

He also made a Mahabharata reference, and said the Pandavas are in the Mahayuti camp and the Kauravas in Maha Vikas Aghadi. “The Pandava camp is here and the Kauravas’ there. The Kauravas will stay with the Kauravas and the Pandavas with the Pandavas,” he said.

A ‘Roko’ Barb At Rivals

Taking a swipe at Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, Mr Fadnavis said they were just interested in roko — meaning stop. “If there is discussion on development, I bet our rivals won’t be able to participate. Because they always worked to stop (projects) — bullet train roko, Metro roko, Mahamarg, Atal Setu roko, airport roko. Our work is thoko – finish work and progress,” he said.

Mr Fadnavis also criticised a section of the media, saying that they are more interested in focusing on political leaders’ barbs against each other instead of development initiatives.

On the Eknath Shinde government’s development agenda, Mr Fadnavis said a river-linking project aimed at making Maharashtra drought-free is in the works. “We will have Vadhavan Port in the next few years. It will put India on the global maritime map. It will not only help Maharashtra in its economic growth but also become a growth engine for India.”

Sanjay Raut’s ‘Vote Jihad’ Swipe

Earlier in the day, Mr Raut responded to the BJP’s Vote Jihad offensive. “Fadnavis should explain what is vote jihad. Wasn’t it a vote jihad when Muslim votes went to Modi in 2019? When you get Muslim votes, it is not vote jihad and when the same votes come to the Congress or us, it is vote jihad?” Mr Raut said at the NDTV event.

The term ‘vote jihad’ became a talking point during the Lok Sabha polls when Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam asked Muslim voters to wage “vote jihad” against the BJP.

Prime Minister Modi had targeted the INDIA Opposition bloc over the remark and said, “Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening jihad against India. And here, those in Congress have also announced vote jihad against Modi, which means people of a particular religion are being asked to vote unitedly against Modi. Imagine what level the Congress has stooped to. Do you agree with Vote Jihad? In a democracy, can it be done? Does our constitution allow this kind of Jihad?” he had said.

Targeting the Mahayuti alliance, Mr Raut said, “These people have mortgaged the pride of Maharashtra in Delhi. These people have disrespected the Marathi manoos.”