Devendra Fadnavis at Express Adda: ‘Corruption, in varying degrees, in existence… will fight it ruthlessly'
Emphasising his commitment to fight corruption 'ruthlessly', Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday outlined reforms undertaken by his government to bring more accountability and transparency.
'The issue of corruption, in varying degrees, has been in existence for long, but my government is committed to fight it ruthlessly… We will combat corruption firmly,' Fadnavis said at the Express Adda in Mumbai.
Underlining his government's good governance agenda, he unfolded a decade-long plan for transformation of Mumbai and Maharashtra. All these reforms were being undertaken to bring administrative efficiency and root out complacency and corruption, he said.
'I will not allow any corruption in my government. If there is any corruption it will be dealt with firmly,' he said. Shortly after returning as CM last December, his government focussed on e-governance, including end-to-end digitisation, he said.
Fadnavis also unveiled details of mega infrastructure projects, including upgradation of the suburban rail network, development of education and medical hubs at Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) city, and construction of another airport near Vadhavan port in Palghar.
The Maharashtra CM was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express.
Responding to a question on the 'love jihad' issue, Fadnavis said: 'Initially, I, too, thought it was being exaggerated. But after a study, it came to light that there were many such instances in several districts… I am not against inter-caste or inter-faith marriages. But when girls are lured into marriages, exploited and dumped, it becomes a serious issue which cannot be overlooked.'
He denied that these issues were an outcome of communal polarisation and vote-bank politics.
Responding to another question, he said he had invoked 'nationalist forces' to effectively counter the role of 'anarchist forces' during the Lok Sabha elections. 'In a democracy, we are used to fighting political parties, not anarchist forces. I have said on the floor of the House that some organisations which were part of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra were banned during (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh's tenure,' he said.
Saying that help was sought from nationalist forces like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said: 'Yes, RSS is a nationalist organisation. And there are others too.'
On the Bombay High Court pulling up the police on Tuesday for the arrest of a 19-year-old student over a social media post during Operation Sindoor, Fadnavis said his government would follow court orders. 'But I want to state that when Operation Sindoor was underway, if someone writes against the Army, it naturally evokes strong sentiments. So, police took action accordingly. But if there is any excess action on our part, the courts reprimand… If we have erred, we will rectify,' he said.
Fadnavis also listed some ambitious mega infrastructure projects — from the coastal road to airports, ports and Metro Railways. 'Navi Mumbai Airport will become operational from August. And within six months, the coastal road will be completed,' he said.
On an underground Metro station in Mumbai being inundated with water earlier this week, Fadnavis said: 'Sixteen of the 17 Metro stations remained open. There were no problems in these. In only one station, the construction work on a wall was to be completed by June 10. Due to heavy rainfall, the water seeped in.' Saying that the work would be completed soon, he said: 'I promise that there will be no reason to complain.'
The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, actors Pankaj Tripathi and Tabu, oncologist and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker and writer William Dalrymple.
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