Ajit Pawar asks Shinde, Fadnavis to not engage in ‘revenge politics’

The meeting comes in the backdrop of the Shinde-Fadnavis government reversing policy decisions of the earlier MVA government. The new government has also put a stay on allotment of finance for developmental projects cleared by the MVA and has decided to postpone elections in cooperative establishments in the state.

“Ordering a stay on everything is not ideal example of governance. Governments change but projects should continue. There are examples where funds allocated in the last fiscal, too, have been stayed. Why are you punishing the people for whom these projects have been planned?” Pawar said.

The state government said it is not halting any essential projects and was barely repeating what the previous government did when it came to power in 2019.

“We have not stopped any essential project. We have stopped projects where decisions on fund allocation were taken after the previous government lost the majority. We will review the demands of the Opposition,” Shinde said.

Fadnavis said, “They did the same when they came to power. But let me assure you that we won’t be unjust. We have received a letter from them and we will review it,” said  Fadnavis.

आज विधानभवनात राज्याचे मुख्यमंत्री मा. @mieknathshinde जी यांची भेट घेतली. यावेळी @NCPspeaks चे अन्य मान्यवर नेते सुद्धा उपस्थित होते. राज्यातील विकासकामांना स्थगिती देऊ नये, अशी मागणी यावेळी केली. pic.twitter.com/W88CMvv1C0

— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) July 18, 2022

One of the major decisions of the new government was to scrap an earlier order by the Uddhav Thackeray-led government to shift Metro-III carshed from Kanjur Marg plot to its original location at Aarey forest.

The government has also reversed the Thackeray government’s decision by announcing direct elections of presidents of nagar panchayats and nagar parishads as well as sarpanches of gram panchayats. It also issued stay of release of funds in District Planning Development Council in the ongoing fiscal and has directed reevaluation of all new schemes by new district guardian ministers, who will be appointed soon. Recently, the Urban Development Department has stayed funds for developmental projects, which include projects in Pawar’s home-turf Baramati.

The state’s cooperation department has issued directions postponing the election process in 7,620 cooperative bodies to Septemebr 30. Of these, the nomination process has begun in 5,636 bodies while in 1,984 bodies, the process has not begun. “How can an election process that has already begun be postponed?” asked NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Manu Kumar Shrivastava issued two fresh orders on Monday aimed at reviewing the decisions of the previous government. In the first order, proposals have been immediately sought from administrative heads of departments to stay the projects  that were approved under the district annual plan, state-level schemes and tribal sub-plan but for which tenders are yet to be issued. In a second order, proposals have been sought within seven days to cancel appointments of non-government members to state corporations, authorities and committees.