India
People have made their choice for Mahayuti: Piyush Goyal | India News – Times of India
How do you see the prospects for the elections? Given the churn, the voter is not confused MVA and Mahayuti and their candidates?
The writing on the wall is very clear: the voters have made up their minds for continuity, be it in Marathwada, western Maharashtra or Mumbai. The mood is for a government that delivers results. They recognize that they want to have a government that works closely with the central government. They experienced a non-performing government led by Mr. Uddhav Thackeray for two and a half years…the CM did not even take office. They have seen how Prime Minister Modi, in the first term of the Fadnavis government, and then the Shinde-Fadnavis-Ajit Dada government, achieved results in infrastructure, slum rehabilitation and providing a better quality of life.
There is a feeling among voters that a local party that was in power has been deposed.
That was Congress’s problem and not BJP’s or Mahayuti’s. Mahayuti is very strongly united, we had no problems with the seat transfer apart from a few minor issues. But MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) seems to be quite a disaffected group, with no ideological basis. Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, who once stood for Hindutva, has completely abandoned Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology and has come to sit in the fold of Sharad Pawar and the Congress. Here we see the pitiable condition in which Mr. Uddhav Thackeray finds himself, where he even has to accept in writing the conditions of support demanded by the Ulemas. The shameful demands have even been accepted by Sharad Pawar and Congress, which has hurt the people of Maharashtra, and they have decided to teach MVA a lesson.
Considering Ajit Pawar’s stance on some issues, including the ‘batenge to kitenge’ slogan, doesn’t that sound like he is not much of a reliable partner?
Not at all, the understanding among the coalition partners is very strong. His line is no different from the line of all partners. We may have disagreements about one or two candidates.
So the statements, including the one about Sharad Pawar and Amit Shah’s meeting in 2019…
I don’t think so. The Prime Minister has stated that he said “hum ek hain to safe hain”. He has given a strong message that the Congress and the MVA, which are trying to divide society on the basis of religion, caste and language, must be defeated, otherwise Maharashtra will not be safe and neither will the country.
There is a controversy over the meeting at Adani’s home…
It’s a non-problem. Location hardly matters, content is important. Mr. Sharad Pawar, who is opposing Mr. Ajit Pawar and Mahayuti today, was himself desirous and all MLAs were keen to join Mahayuti.
The Ladli Bahin fee will be increased to Rs 2,100. How feasible is it to meet these costs without impacting other development expenditures, and is this not a benefit or a review?
It is a recognition of the great work our sisters and daughters do. It is in the interest of making them self-reliant, making them stronger and ensuring that they are not dependent on anyone for their small daily needs. This is an empowerment tool and not a benefit.
Who will be your CM face after the elections if Mahayuti emerges victorious?
It has already been clarified by Amit Shah. Today the CM is Mr. Eknath Shinde and after the elections, as is the normal process, all three parties will sit around the table and decide.
There is a feeling that many projects that would have come to Maharashtra have gone to Gujarat.
It is a completely baseless accusation and baseless. Maharashtra is No. 1 in FDI, infrastructure investment and will remain No. 1. Toyota invests in a township… India’s largest port will be in Wadhawan, and a new airport will be built in Mumbai. We are active in all areas.
