“I decided that I would be speaking on the development of cities in my campaign rallies (for the 29 municipal corporations). However, in Mumbai, I will have to respond (to the criticism by the opposition). If I do not speak there, some people may think we are weak,” the CM said without referring to the Thackeray cousins.Despite being in the Mahayuti alliance, BJP and NCP are contesting against each other in PMC and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Ajit Pawar’s NCP has formed an alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP). Recently, the deputy CM alleged that the development in both cities slowed down because of the corrupt governance by BJP. State BJP chief Ravindra Chavan hit back, warning if they started speaking against him it would create trouble for the NCP chief. On Monday, it was Fadnavis’s turn to respond to the criticism. He said, “The political campaign in Pune is heating up, with members from both sides speaking against each other. I just want to say that if we go back in the past to speak about Pune’s development, some people will be in trouble as they will struggle to list out what they did for the city.” Citing the example of the Pune Metro project, the chief minister said before BJP won the PMC election in 2017, the earlier party (NCP) that governed the local body, only made an announcement in this regard, but it never took off.“It was only after BJP started governing in 2017 that the project gained momentum. Today, I can proudly say that of the planned 110-km Metro line, work on 33km has already completed. Once the entire work is completed, the mobility in Pune will improve like never before,” Fadnavis said.Announcing that the BJP-led govt in the state has a definite plan for Pune to make it the most vibrant city in India, the CM said, “We created a capital investment plan for Pune city for 2030, under which Rs 44,000 crore will be spent. Pune’s contribution to Maharashtra’s economy will increase by four times in the next five years.”
