‘Not Fadnavis’s fate to be called Oppn leader or ex-CM for long’

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday hinted that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis would serve as the leader of Opposition in the

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday hinted that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis would serve as the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly or be known as the former chief minister (CM) for a “short duration”, indicating he may be rehabilitated as the head of the state unit or as a Union minister in Delhi.

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RSS is the fountainhead of the Sangh Parivar. Addressing a gathering where Fadnavis was one of the speakers, Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS general secretary and the organisation’s second-in-command, claimed that the BJP leader will be ex-CM only for a limited period.

“It is not his fate to be the leader of Opposition or an ex-CM for very long. Both these [attributes] are for a short duration; political ups and downs are part of a democracy. I want to say that Devendra Fadnavisji’s destiny will not be leader of Opposition forever. Also, the tag of former CM is a short-lived tag for him. But it is a democracy, and in a democracy things change,” he said.

The BJP, despite having won 105 seats in the 288-member Assembly, was unable to return to power after a fall-out with its long-time ally, the Shiv Sena. The Sena formed the government, along with the then Opposition parties, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress in November, and elected Uddhav Thackeray as the CM.

Joshi’s remarks came on the same day CM Thackeray met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders in Delhi.