Amruta Fadnavis calls PM Modi ‘father of new India’

Amruta Fadnavis, wife of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has called prime minister Narendra Modi the “father of new India”, giving the opposition fresh ammunition to target the BJP over insulting national icons

Amruta Fadnavis, wife of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has called prime minister Narendra Modi the “father of new India”, giving the opposition fresh ammunition to target the BJP over insulting national icons.

MUMBAI, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 : Amruta Fadnavis was spotted at a press conference of movie 'Karta Tu Dharta Tu' on Sunday September 3, 2017 in Mumbai, India. (Freelance photo by Yogen Shah) (Yogen Shah)

Speaking at a ‘mock court’ organised by Abhivyakti, a Nagpur-based writers’ organisation on Tuesday, she said, “The country has two rashtra pita: Modi – the father of new India and Mahatma Gandhi – father of the nation of earlier times.”

Former minister and senior Congress leader Yashomati Thakur was quick to slam Amruta.

“People following the RSS-BJP ideology keep trying to kill Gandhiji again and again. They are obsessed with trying to distort history by repeating lies and maligning great people such as Mahatma Gandhi,” Thakur said.

This is not the first time Amruta used the analogy for Modi. In 2019 she had tweeted, “Wishing the Father of our Country Narendra Modi ji a very Happy Birthday — who inspires us to work relentlessly towards the betterment of the society.”

At the ‘mock court’, she also said, “I have my own opinions and thoughts. People very often mistake my words to be Devendra’s thoughts. However, that is not the case. I have always been opinionated, competitive and outspoken regardless of my association with Devendra.”

“I never make political statements; I am not interested in it. Common people do not troll my statements. This work is being done by jealous people from the NCP or Shiv Sena. I do not give much importance to them,” she said in response to a question. “I am only afraid of my mother and mother-in-law. I don’t care about the rest.”

Amruta’s remarks came days after Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari faced flak from the opposition after he called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an icon of ‘old days’ and instead called Dr BR Ambedkar and union minister Nitin Gadkari ‘icons of modern times’.