The newly appointed Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has promised to restore Maharashtra’s glory as country’s number one state. Addressing his first press conference in Mumbai after taking over as Chief Minister, Mr. Fadnavis said that he will strive to provide a transparent and efficient government that will remain totally focussed on inclusive development.
Outlining a step in that direction, Mr. Fadnavis said, the government has decided to introduce a citizen’s charter or Right to Service. He said that the state cabinet in its first meeting has decided to provide a legal recourse to all citizens who fail to get government services in a time bound manner. He said that a Committee headed by the Chief Secretary will submit a detailed report and proposal in this regard.
Showcasing his practical side, the Chief Minister declined to state any 100 day targets for the government. Mr. Fadnavis said that he would rather use his first 100 days to study the state of affairs and then use the rest of his 5 year term for development goals. He said that the government will review most of the decisions taken by the previous government in its last days and see if implementing all of them will be feasible without causing much trouble to the exchequer. He said that the BJP led government will try to fulfil all its promises regarding removal of toll and bringing out a white paper on irrigation scam as soon as possible.
Saying that he was happy as Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray was present to attend the swearing-in ceremony, the Chief Minister indicated that the alliance between the two parties will be announced soon.
On the issue of a separate Vidarbha, a region from which Mr. Fadnavis belongs, the Chief Minister said that the initial focus will be on the development of all backward regions including Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Mr Devendra Fadnavis is likely to seek a vote of confidence in his government during a special three day session of the state Assembly beginning November 11. According to official sources, a formal announcement in this regard will be made today after a meeting of state cabinet.
Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has given Fadnavis 15 days from the day of his government being sworn in to prove its majority in the 288-member House.
After the death of an MLA, BJP's strength in the Assembly has come down to 121, but it has claimed support of all seven independents and some from smaller parties. Besides, it enjoys unconditional outside support of NCP which has 41 MLAs. The NCP leaders have also announced that they will abstain from voting on the trust motion if 63-member Shiv Sena decides to sit in the opposition.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray’s presence at yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony have revived the hope of rapprochement between the two former allies.Thackeray also had a brief discussion with BJP president Amit Shah after the oath ceremony where he shook hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and exchanged pleasantries. If Sena comes on board, the BJP government will have no problem proving its majority in the House.
