Previous Government Suffered From Policy Paralysis, Says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government suffered from "policy paralysis" when it ruled the state for 31 months.

Addressing a public rally in Satara district's Maan tehsil, he said an "inactive government" assumed office in November 2019 and it was not concerned about problems being faced by people of drought-prone areas.

Mr Fadnavis assured local BJP MLA Jaykumar Gore that till the time their fight against drought in the region was not over, he would stand by people in their struggle.

"Today, the ground-breaking of a lift irrigation scheme at Jihe-Katapur was performed. A total of 15,000 hectares of land will be irrigated under the scheme. This land would have come under irrigation by now as we had completed all formalities but we went out of power (in 2019).

"After that, an inactive government assumed office, which had nothing to do with the Maan region, had nothing to do with the drought-like situation prevailing here, and had nothing to do with people suffering from drought. For them, people are just a vote-bank," said the BJP leader who served as CM from 2014 to 2019.

He accused the MVA government of trying to stall the irrigation scheme, which had already been cleared by the previous administration, during their term in office.

Mr Fadnavis said with people's blessing, their government (Shiv Sena-BJP) came back to power and work on the scheme picked up pace and assured that by December 2024, the region in western Maharashtra will get adequate irrigation water.

"I am giving you my word. The work (on the scheme) will be completed (on time). Today, the work has started, and by December 2024, irrigation facility will be provided in an area of 15,000 hectares. Funds will not be a constraint as I hold the keys of the vaults," said the deputy CM, who also handles the finance portfolio.

Mr Fadnavis said had the BJP government returned to office in 2019, administrative nod for the Tembhu lift irrigation scheme in Satara district, would have come by the end of that year.

The irrigation project, for which Rs 4,089 crore was allotted in 2018, will benefit the perennially drought-prone areas of three districts. The scheme is about constructing barrages on the river Krishna near Tembhu village and lifting 22 billion cubic feet water to irrigate 80,000 hectare areas in seven talukas spread across Satara, Sangli and Solapur districts.

"But unfortunately, the previous government suffered from policy paralysis. Their pen was not working, rather, they did not have a pen to their pockets, and that is why administrative nod was not given to the project," he said.

The MVA government, led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, was in office from November 2019 to June 2022.

Mr Fadnavis claimed in the last 6 months of the Shiv Sena-BJP rule, the government has given administrative nods to 29 schemes.

He assured that in the next one month, the state government will provide Rs 2,000 crore for the Tembhu scheme.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)