E-Paper
Ajit Pawar calls MVA's ‘ ₹3000 per month for women’ scheme a bluff
Amid election frenzy, Ajit Pawar said that the opposition is bluffing with their promise of ₹3000 monthly aid for women in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday attacked the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over its promise of giving ₹3000 monthly as aid to women, calling it a “bluff” by the opposition alliance. Pawar said that when the Mahayuti alliance offered a similar scheme in the past, the opposition parties questioned their decision.
While speaking to reporters in Pune, Ajit Pawar pointed out that the Mahayuti government offered ₹1,500 per month to women under its Ladki Bahin Yojana, a scheme which the opposition party had relentlessly attacked.
The MVA alliance, comprising Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, on Wednesday promised ₹3,000 per month to women in Maharashtra.
Calling the scheme a “bluff”, Ajit Pawar said, “Today, if they claim to give ₹3,000 per month to women, the expenditure may reach ₹90,000 crore. They are also promising ₹4,000 per month to unemployed youth, and if there are one lakh unemployed youth who benefit, the expenditure on that scheme will be around ₹40,000 crore.”
“So, ₹1.5 lakh crore will be needed for these two schemes, while the state budget is ₹7 lakh crore. How will they manage salaries, pensions, and interest on loans?” he questioned.
Pawar further talked about the RBI's concerns regarding such schemes by the state government, he said that the central bank views the state's finances from their own perspective.
Read more: Ajit Pawar condemns Sadabhau Khot’s remarks on Sharad Pawar
“It is their opinion as they view the state's finances from their perspective. We are public representatives, and while running a pro-people government, we have to take along the marginalised people,” he said.
On speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rally in Baramati ahead of the assembly election in the state, Ajit Pawar said, “No. I do not want anyone's rally in Baramati. Instead, it is more important to hold rallies in other parts (of the state).”
When asked about his uncle Sharad Pawar hinting retirement from parliamentary politics at the end of his Rajya Sabha term, Ajit Pawar said that he did not know anything about it, but has had different experiences in the past, alluding to the senior Pawar offering to step down as party chief in May 2023 but later continuing on the post.
(With inputs from PTI)
