"Our alliance with Eknath Shinde is emotional while alliance with NCP and Ajit Pawar is strategic," revealed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Ideas of India Conclave.
The ace BJP strategist speaking about former Congress CM Ashok Chavan joining BJP claimed that all the Congress leaders see a dark future in the grand old party of India. “Whoever believes in the leadership of Modi ji and respects him and wants to join BJP then we welcome him” asserted Fadnavis.
'For me Hindutva means tolerance'
He claimed that BJP was a party of disciplined workers associated on basis of one ideology with 90% of BJP workers aware that they can never become councilors in their life. “For me Hindutva means tolerance. There is no hardcore and softcore Hindutva,” elaborated the deputy chief minister on the party ideology adding that he Babri was a structure of stigma and at the time of Babri demolition was jailed. “I am proud of it,” said Fadnavis.
Speaking about the forthcoming 2024 elections and pre poll alliances, he said “This election is not an election of 1+1=2. This is a choice of 1+1=11. Political arithmetic will not work in this election. election is being fought on political chemistry.”
'There is no elder brother or younger brother in the alliance'
He insisted that the alliance in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) was of equal partnership. “There is no elder brother or younger brother in the alliance... BJP has more MLAs than Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar but the leader of the coalition is the Chief Minister. We will contest elections under the same leadership,” asserted the former BJP CM and Dy CM in the new alliance.
“It was my proposal to make Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister. I had put forward this point before the top central level leaders that if the alliance is to function properly then Eknath Shinde will have to become the Chief Minister,” claimed Fadnavis and further added “It doesn't matter with how many parties we have formed an alliance to run the government... what matters is the ideology of the people who joined.”
