Nagpur: Maharashtra Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying he should focus on the survival of his own party instead of questioning the political future of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.Addressing the media here, the minister said Fadnavis was a “mature, development-oriented and versatile leader” capable of transforming Maharashtra into a developed state and asserted the state ‘needs him till 2034′.“Instead of worrying about Fadnavis’ political future, Thackeray should introspect why leaders and workers are leaving his party,” Bawankule added.The remarks came in response to Thackeray’s claim in Washim that ‘Operation Tiger’, under which 6 Lok Sabha MPs from his party switched to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, was ‘Operation Devendra Fadnavis’ to clip the CM’s wings.Bawankule said PM Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah had complete faith in Fadnavis’ leadership and dismissed any speculation over his future. He accused Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva by aligning with the Congress and claimed BJP was built on ideology rather than ‘power or money’.“Congress has finished his Shiv Sena (UBT). Now he has nothing left except criticism,” Bawankule said, adding people of Maharashtra had accepted Deputy CM Eknath Shinde‘s Sena as the political inheritor of Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology.The Kamptee MLA further said the govt planned to accelerate the Baliraja farm road scheme over next four to five years by restoring encroached agricultural access roads, carrying out tree plantation and assigning road numbers.On farmer distress, Bawankule warned private banks against delaying crop loans and said the govt could shut official accounts of banks failing to meet district-level lending targets. “Farmers should not face mental harassment while seeking crop loans,” he said.The minister also said nearly 300 crore from district planning funds would be spent on improving civic school infra and reviving schools facing closure.
