Newsmaker | Amruta Fadnavis: The wife with a difference

A senior bank official, Amruta is vocal on Twitter, often gets into arguments with opponents, is an unabashed singer, donned a saffron robe to perform the Shiv Tandav Stotram on Mahashivratri, recently sashayed in a pop music video timed to Valentine’s Day that she dubbed “Biggest Bachelorette Anthem of the Year”, and has found herself in a spot over the security detail provided to her by the Maharashtra government in which Fadnavis is the Deputy Chief Minister, holding the Home portfolio.

A criminal’s daughter gains access to de facto CM’s house&is friends with his wife for over 5 years (as per DCM statement in assembly). Gives his wife jewellery, clothes to wear (for promotion). Roams around with her in her car.

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) March 16, 2023

And now comes an FIR filed by her alleging a bribery attempt by a designer, with whom she had more than a passing acquaintance. On Thursday, the Opposition sought clarification from Fadnavis in the Assembly on the matter.

Amruta’s self-confessed “unadulterated free spirit” has often been the subject of the Opposition’s jibes. In April 2022 at a public event, Shiv Sena leader and then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray remarked: “I just learnt that Chief Secretary Manukumar Shrivastava sings. Till today I was under the impression that there is only one person who sings.”

This was soon after Amruta had posted a tweet comparing Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and saying: “Aye bhogi, kuchch tau seekh hamare Yogi se (You hedonist, learn something from our Yogi).”

If the BJP is discomfited at this very public profile of Mrs Fadnavis, or the Opposition’s attacks on the same, there is no mention of it publicly. After all, this is a party where many leaders have embraced bachelorhood, and the wives of others are not seen or heard.

“Look, Amruta is not a party member or office-bearer. What she tweets as a private person is her business. Good or bad,” a senior functionary told The Indian Express earlier.

Another argued that while they may avoid the issue of Amruta, it was useful to have her around. “At times you need an outsider insider to take on political rivals. It is just to drive home a point,” said the leader, adding that while she may not fetch the party voters or seats, the following she has built carries influence.

An aide of Fadnavis said: “Social media is nobody’s monopoly. In that sense, if Amruta uses it to promote a cause or attack rivals, there is nothing wrong.”

Her tweets that have left a stir include one calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi the father of the country, on his birthday in September 2019. She repeated this more recently, with a difference, calling Modi “the Father of New India”, adding that Gandhi was the “Father of the Nation in earlier times”.

In August 2020, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was in power in the state, Amruta posted that Mumbai was no longer a safe place, linking it to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

In February 2022, she suggested that Mumbai traffic jams could be leading to divorces. “I go out and see several issues, potholes, traffic. Due to traffic, people are unable to give time to their families. 3% divorces in Mumbai are happening due to it,” Amruta said.

In November 2022, The Indian Express reported that the State Intelligence Department had allotted a ‘traffic clearance vehicle’ along with a security upgrade from X to Y+ with escort to Amruta. As this raised a row, Amruta posted that she had told the police to withdraw the escort.