Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday faced another round of criticism for being in Delhi to finalise the seat-sharing formula with the Shiv Sena while intense rainfall flooded Pune, claiming 17 lives.
The criticism comes days after the CM came under fire for continuing with his Mahajanadesh Yatra to campaign for elections despite the floods in western Maharashtra.
Hitting out at the government for its late and sloppy response, the Opposition alleged that Maharashtra’s disaster management cell was in deep slumber and the ‘delirious’ Chief Minister cannot see anything but elections. “These people are not concerned about the crisis people are faced with. They are only worried about retaining power. Today, when people are suffering, they are discussing seat sharing for the Assembly polls in Delhi,” Mumbai Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Nawab Malik said.
Mr. Malik said the State’s disaster management cell seems to go into slumber whenever there is a crisis-like situation, such as the recent hold-up of the Mahalaxmi Express due to heavy rain or the floods in western Maharashtra. “Every time, the disaster management cell seems to be in sleep mode,” he said.
Mr. Fadnavis, who along with Pune’s Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil is in Delhi to finalise the seat-sharing arrangement with the Sena, said the government is monitoring the rescue work and he is in constant touch with the administration. This, too, did not go down well with the Opposition.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said the government had scant regard for human life and was only obsessed about the elections and staying in power.
“At the time of the Sangli-Kolhapur deluge, all BJP leaders, led by Mr. Fadnavis, were busy in their Mahajanadesh Yatra. Now, when people have lost their lives in Pune owing to heavy rain, the Chief Minister and Pune’s Guardian Minister are nowhere to be seen… instead of giving succour to the rain-afflicted by visiting the spot, they callously say they are taking stock of the situation via videoconferencing,” he said.
“Why isn’t [Mr. Patil] present when Pune is reeling under a calamity of this magnitude? Why is he in Delhi to discuss seat sharing and ticket distribution when he ought to have been directing relief operations here?” he asked.
Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar urged people in Pune to remain cautious and asked the CM to restore normalcy in the district, where roads have caved in and bridges have been washed away.
Appealing to people to not panic, Mr. Pawar said, “We have ensured that all those affected are taken to a secure place and are provided with the necessary arrangements. No one will be left without aid.”
(With inputs from Shoumojit Banerjee)
