Former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislative party leader Devendra Fadnavis was appointed the leader of the Opposition in the legislative Assembly on Sunday. Newly appointed Speaker Nana Patole made the announcement stating the legislative unit of the BJP, the party with the highest number of MLAs in Opposition, has recommended Fadnavis’s name. With 105 BJP legislators elected to the Assembly and nine more MLAs extending their support to the party, Fadnavis vowed to become a powerful Opposition leader and support the government in the interest of the people.
Most leaders from the ruling parties, while speaking on the congratulatory motion, took a dig at Fadnavis and his campaign tagline, Mee Punha Yein (I will come back). Fadnavis reiterated he would be back in power soon.
“I had said I would be back, but had not given the time,” he quipped.
“I still say I will come back, please wait. Nothing is impossible in politics now, especially after the alliance of the three parties with different ideologies.”
The congratulatory motion saw chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Fadnavis trade barbs.
Thackeray said he never claimed he would become the chief minister and he would have been watching the Assembly proceedings on the television had everything gone as planned before the election (between BJP and Shiv Sena).
“I never thought that former chief minister and my friend Devendra Fadnavis would sit in the chair of leader of the Opposition. I am a lucky chief minister as those who were in the Opposition have become friends and who are sitting in the Opposition now were our friends for more than 25 years. We were with you (in previous government) and never tried to ditch you. Now, you are in the Opposition. This happened because of your ‘political skill.’ My Hindutva does not allow me to lie,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I never thought that former chief minister and my friend Devendra Fadnavis would sit in the chair of leader of the Opposition. I am a lucky chief minister as those who were in the Opposition have become friends and who are sitting in the Opposition now were our friends for more than 25 years. We were with you (in previous government) and never tried to ditch you. Now, you are in the Opposition. This happened because of your ‘political skill.’ My Hindutva does not allow me to lie,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He also took attacked Fadnavis for forming the government, which lasted for three days, by trying to derail the formation of the three-party government. “I have asked my colleagues to be open in whatever they do and not to indulge in midnight conspiracy and deceit.”