Age just a number, PM Modi should be BJP's face for future elections: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's age is merely a number, and that he should remain the face of the BJP for the upcoming many elections, as he has done a splendid job and under his leadership, the country is advancing well.

In his interview at the India Today conclave, the Chief Minister spoke about the BJP’s next president. “I work in the BJP. You people also track us closely. In our party, where to work isn’t the decision of a party worker, as the party decides that. So, for now, I know that for five years I am here in Maharashtra. BJP will solve the issue of choosing a national president. Don’t worry about that. Names for the contenders are only for the news items. Even the RSS chief said that it’s the BJP’s job. And I am not competent because I am not a part of the parliamentary board. I am a part of the elections committee,” he said.

He further added, “It’s not the question of proximity with the RSS. And every swayamsevak is equally close to the RSS chief. And that’s true that I am from Nagpur, and the RSS chief knows me from my childhood. When we were together in Nagpur, I and Nitin Gadkari ji were there in the capacity of leaders of Maharashtra and swayamsevak.”

CM Fadnavis took a swipe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s call to India’s Gen Z to play a "decisive role" in stopping the alleged vote theft, saying that "whoever is in love with Nepal, can stay there.”

"The young people of India do not have the time to protest. Gen Z thinks differently. Rahul Gandhi alone is hopeless; he does not have anyone else to bring down the government. His appeal to Gen Z will not work," said the chief minister in a reply to a question on the opposition's call to the nation's Gen Z population to carry out something massive like the recent protests in Nepal that toppled the previous K.P. Sharma Oli-led government.

The CM acknowledged the historic ties between Nepal and India, but said that the two neighbours are very different today. “India has made huge developments, becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world. The young people of our nation work in startup ecosystems, as well as in sectors like AI, engineering and biotechnology. The young people of India have taken over the world," he said.

On the recent protests by pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil, CM Fadnavis said his agitation is now over, but no problem settles permanently. “So we are trying to support the Maratha community,” he added.

Commenting on his posters and advertisements put up across the state after the conclusion of Jarange Patil’s agitation, the Chief Minister said, “They were put up by my party, where they have used the term Devabhau, which is common. That advertisement was a statement. What we can do. Some people got disturbed by that advertisement. But we have delivered a promise to the Maratha community by not disturbing or snatching anybody’s right.”

“The problem of reservation isn’t new. It’s been there for more than 40 years. I chose to address those problems... Having aspirations is not bad. If any society thinks we need more things to progress, that is good. But we need to balance things. We are an evolving society. In OBC’s non-creamy layer norm is there. Those who have a good income don’t need those facilities,” he said.

“Even the Supreme Court indicated that we need to introduce a creamy layer, then only those who are needy will get benefits. After the Supreme Court ruled that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes (SC) quota as they form a socially heterogeneous class, a committee has been formed. In the upcoming days, we will put this in the public domain,” he announced.

On the functioning of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, the CM said, “I know, I am here for the full 5-year term. And so are Dy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, we will go together in the 2029 polls also.”

He said, “My caste is not the issue; everyone knows it. Because caste is only in the minds of leaders (opposition), not in the minds of people.”

“We, all three leaders, are very seasoned. We know our boundaries. All can have aspirations, but we know where to draw the line. So there is no problem. We will go together in 2029 also. There is no doubt that Shinde and Ajit Pawar will be with us. In politics, there will be different decisions also, so maybe my party may think differently next time. So it’s not like that Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde can’t become CM in future,” he commented.

He claimed that some urban naxal-type organisations were with the INDIA bloc, and they set the narrative of 'change in Samvidhan' during the Lok Sabha polls. “So we were unable to strike it down. But in Vidhan Sabha elections, we have successfully achieved what we have set for,” he said.

--IANS

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