Hindutva played key role, counter-polarisation helped Mahayuti win in Maharashtra: CM Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that Hindutva played an important role in the recent state assembly elections, and counter-polarisation helped the Mahayuti alliance score a big win.
Fadnavis, who took oath as Maharashtra chief minister for the third time on Thursday, said in an interview to ABP news channel that Hindutva and development are two sides of the same coin and described BJP's Hindutva as a way of life.
He also alleged that opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance had an agreement with people like (Islamic scholar) Sajjad Nomani, wherein it was agreed to withdraw cases of riots filed against Muslims since 2012.
During the election campaign, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had raised the "batenge toh katenge" (divided we are destroyed) slogan, which was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "ek hain toh safe hain" (united we are safe) call.
While campaigning, Fadnavis had countered the purported appeal by Nomani for a "vote-jihad" against the Mahayuti government by making a pitch for "dharma-yudh of votes".
In the interview, Fadnavis said, "The voter turnout increased because Congress tried to suppress Hindus. When you try to suppress someone, they rise strongly. Hindutva played an important role and counter-polarisation helped the Mahayuti alliance. Our development schemes and Hindutva worked. Hindutva and development are two sides of the same coin."
The voter turnout in this year's assembly polls was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019.
"BJP's Hindutva is a way of life and not related to religious rituals. Muslims have different religious rituals. One should not have a narrow-minded view of Hindutva," Fadnavis said.
Through his actions, PM Modi has shown what inclusive Hindutva is, he added.
"Those who used to be scared of going to temples for fear of losing Muslim votes, are now frequently visiting them," he said in an apparent dig at Congress Rahul Gandhi.
Apart from Fadnavis as CM, Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief ministers of the state.
On the cabinet expansion, Fadnavis said it be done before December 16, when the winter session of the state legislature starts in Nagpur.
"There are three parties and each of them will be given their due respect. We are almost there. Discussions are on for portfolio allocation," he said.
"I will try to establish a dialogue with all political leaders which has stopped since 2019," he said.
Fadnavis said he has changed for the better since 2014.
The Mahayuti alliance won a whopping 230 assembly seats in Maharashtra, out of the total 288. The BJP won 132 seats, the Shiv Sena 57 and the NCP got 41 seats.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
