Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis targeted his political rival Uddhav Thackeray, without directly naming him, by suggesting the former chief minister should write essays instead of criticizing the current government.
There is a person in this state who says I have done this, I would have done this if he were chief minister," Fadnavis said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Gangapur lift irrigation project in Arapur. He did not come out of his house for two and a half years as chief minister. He should just sit home and write essays. We will serve the people.
Fadnavis's comments come amid ongoing political rivalry between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which he represents, and the Shiv Sena. Thackeray's tenure as chief minister from 2019 to 2022 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, which limited public appearances for many officials.
The Gangapur project, which will bring irrigation to 25,000 hectares of land in 40 villages using drip irrigation technology, was sanctioned in September 2023 and is expected to begin construction this month. Fadnavis announced additional funding for a solar power plant to provide electricity for the project.