Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said his boycott of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Nagpur programme is a personal decision.
“The way such programmes have been undertaken in Congress-ruled States will impact the federal sentiment,” Mr. Chavan told reporters on Wednesday. He added, “Chief Ministers of different States have to work with the Prime Minister. It should not matter what political parties they belong to.”
On August 16, Mr. Chavan’s speech was disrupted by the crowd at an official function in Solapur in the presence of Mr. Modi. “This was politically motivated,” Mr. Chavan said. The same day, Mr. Modi had mocked Mr. Chavan at an event in Navi Mumbai. When Mr. Chavan said that several Special Economic Zones in the State had been hindered by Central policies, Mr. Modi shot back saying, “A few diseases are only cured by new doctors.”
Mr. Chavan has also questioned the speedy clearances to the Nagpur Metro as compared to the Metro in Pune, where the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party have a stronger following. “Both Metros got Central clearance in February but the Nagpur Metro has proceeded faster. There should be no discrimination between a leader’s constituency and other parts of the State,” he said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s constituency is Nagpur and he hails from there.
Meanwhile, the BJP has criticised the Chief Minister’s decision not to attend the Nagpur event. “This sends a clear message that the State does not want to work with the Modi government and bring the fruits of development to Maharashtra,” said senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde.
