Maharashtra Opposition Reacts To Fadnavis’ Remarks On ‘Rental Ponies’
Opposition reacts sharply to Fadnavis’ controversial remarks.
A political controversy has erupted in Maharashtra after opposition parties criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his remarks against critics of the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project, calling his comments “rental ponies” and “liars” inappropriate. The remarks were made during his reply in the state Assembly while defending the infrastructure project following a landslide caused by heavy rains that disrupted traffic earlier this week.
Fadnavis defended the Missing Link project, describing it as a major engineering achievement and rejecting allegations of poor execution. Responding to criticism, he accused some opponents and online critics of spreading misinformation and attempting to damage the reputation of Maharashtra’s infrastructure projects. He said criticism of the state’s major developments should not be turned into political attacks.
The opposition, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, strongly objected to the Chief Minister’s language. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav questioned Fadnavis’s comments by recalling his own political history as Leader of the Opposition and said leaders who once raised allegations against governments should not object when similar questions are asked of them.
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Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshvardhan Sapkal and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad also criticised the Chief Minister’s remarks. Sapkal alleged that the government was shifting blame instead of addressing concerns, while Gaikwad said citizens have the democratic right to question projects involving thousands of crores of public money. She argued that accountability over quality and construction standards should not be viewed as opposition to Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Sushma Andhare also launched an attack on Fadnavis through an open letter, accusing him of insulting citizens and opposition leaders by using personal remarks inside the Assembly. She raised concerns over several issues, including public safety, paper leaks, infrastructure failures, and other matters, while questioning why criticism of government projects was being portrayed negatively.
The controversy followed a landslide at the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project after heavy rainfall, with visuals of the incident circulating widely on social media. The project, which has involved significant public expenditure, became the centre of political debate over safety and accountability. Fadnavis maintained that the project was successfully delivered after consultations with officials and expressed confidence that its importance would be recognised in the future.
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