Thackeray govt suffered from 'policy paralysis', says Deputy CM Fadnavis
Pune (PTI): 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
