Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has claimed that Pune received massive financial assistance from the Centre and the state, but the local leadership failed to translate it into meaningful development for the city.
This "failure" underscores the need for a change in the city's leadership, he said during a rally on Sunday in the Baner area ahead of the civic polls to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the BJP and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state, but are fighting separately in some of the 29 municipal corporations, including PMC, that will go to polls on January 15.
Highlighting issues such as inadequate supply of drinking water, piling garbage, pothole-ridden roads, traffic congestion and a "deteriorating" law and order situation in the city, Pawar said there was a lack of political will to address these problems.
"We want to eliminate the 'koyta' (sickle-wielding) gang and maintain law and order in the city. At the Centre and in the state, we are in the Mahayuti, but the situation in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad is different. The administrators who hold the reins of the PMC are responsible," he said.
Pawar said he has been discharging his responsibilities as Pune's guardian minister.
"The municipal corporation has separate powers. The Centre and the state have provided huge funds, but the administrators have fallen short.
"Outsiders will come and go. Recognise your own people and stand by your own people. Pune's leadership is falling short, while the leadership at the Centre and in the state is strong," he added.
Pawar has ruffled feathers in his ally BJP with his comments over the past few days.
In his press conferences on Friday and Saturday, Pawar had alleged corruption and irregularities in the civic bodies in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, both of which were ruled by the BJP between 2017 and 2022 before the appointment of administrators.
The remarks had prompted Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan to hit back at Pawar. Chavan had said if the BJP started making allegations, it would create "serious difficulties for him (Pawar)". Chavan had advised the NCP chief to "introspect" before levelling allegations.
Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule advised Pawar not to target allies during the civic poll campaign.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
