Fadnavis Slams Opposition For ‘Lies’ About ‘Connecting Link’

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday strongly defended the Mumbai-Pune Connecting Link project in the Legislative Assembly, rejecting allegations over its structural safety following a recent landslide. He accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation to tarnish Maharashtra's image and asserted that the landslide damaged only a water drainage arch, while the cable-stayed bridge and tunnels remained structurally intact. Traffic on the route was restored within 18 hours, he said.

Taking a defiant stand amid social media criticism and allegations of corruption, Mr. Fadnavis described himself as "abuse-proof" and defended the Rs 7,000-crore project as a world-class engineering achievement.

The political controversy erupted after torrential rains triggered a landslide on the recently inaugurated Mumbai-Pune Connecting Link, disrupting traffic for nearly 18 hours. The Opposition targeted the BJP-led Mahayuti government, alleging corruption in the execution of the project and raising questions over its structural integrity.

Responding to the criticism, Mr. Fadnavis said, "Sometimes, I am really surprised. There are some people who seem to have been born only after a crore of liars had died. And they have no shame in telling lies. Even after the Connecting Link was opened, they came on television the very next day and spoke lies."

He said the incident had exposed what he described as false claims about the project. "Everyone has seen what actually happened with the Connecting Link. The lies were completely exposed. At the same time, it was because the Mahayuti government had the courage that we were able to build the Connecting Link," he said.

Drawing a parallel with the Konkan Railway, the Chief Minister said similar apprehensions had been raised when the railway project was conceived because the region was prone to landslides.

“Some people said the Konkan Railway would never work and should not be built because the region was prone to landslides. After it was built, landslides occurred almost every year for nearly 15 years. However, with each passing year, we learnt from the experience, carried out the necessary work, and gradually succeeded in preventing landslides. Just imagine what the situation would have been today if the Konkan Railway had never been built because of such fears,” Mr Fadnavis said.