No meaningful development despite huge funds for Pune from Centre, state: Ajit Pawar
Pune (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday claimed that Pune has received massive financial assistance from the Centre and the state, but the local leadership has failed to translate it into meaningful development for the city.
This “failure” underscores the need for a change in the city’s leadership, he said during a rally in the Baner area ahead of the civic polls to the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the BJP and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state, but are fighting separately in some of the 29 municipal corporations, including PMC, that will go to polls on January 15.
Highlighting issues such as inadequate supply of drinking water, piling garbage, pothole-ridden roads, traffic congestion and a “deteriorating” law and order situation in the city, Pawar said there was a lack of political will to address these problems.
“We want to eliminate the ‘koyta’ (sickle-wielding) gang and maintain law and order in the city. At the Centre and in the state, we are in the Mahayuti, but the situation in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad is different. The administrators who hold the reins of the PMC are responsible,” he said.
Pawar said he has been discharging his responsibilities as Pune’s guardian minister.
“The municipal corporation has separate powers. The Centre and the state have provided huge funds, but the administrators have fallen short.
“Outsiders will come and go. Recognise your own people and stand by your own people. Pune’s leadership is falling short, while the leadership at the Centre and in the state is strong,” he added.
Pawar has ruffled feathers in his ally BJP with his comments over the past few days.
In his press conferences on Friday and Saturday, Pawar had alleged corruption and irregularities in the civic bodies in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, both of which were ruled by the BJP between 2017 and 2022 before the appointment of administrators.
The remarks had prompted Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan to hit back at Pawar. Chavan had said if the BJP started making allegations, it would create “serious difficulties for him (Pawar)”. Chavan had advised the NCP chief to “introspect” before levelling allegations.
Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule advised Pawar not to target allies during the civic poll campaign.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chair hurled at Union Minister of State V. Somanna during public event in Koppal
Koppal: Tension prevailed for a brief period at Hitnal village in Koppal taluk on Monday after a chair was allegedly hurled at Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, during a public function.
The incident occurred when Somanna was attending the foundation stone–laying ceremony for a railway flyover near Hitnal village.
According to reports, a group of Congress workers expressed anger over the alleged exclusion of Koppal MP K. Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal and District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi from the invitation list for the program. During the incident, a chair was reportedly thrown, but the Minister was unharmed as his security personnel intervened in time.
Following the incident, chaos ensued at the venue for some time, with protesters allegedly throwing chairs and staging a demonstration in front of Somanna’s vehicle, accusing the organisers of violating protocol.
The railway flyover project, being taken up for Rs 27 crore, connects the Hitnal–Munirabad–Ginigera stretch.
Reacting to the incident, Somanna said the project was fully funded by the Central government and denied any breach of protocol. “There was no violation of etiquette related to the programme. The disturbance was created intentionally,” he said.
