Maharashtra: Fadnavis Calls Congress ‘Directionless Party’
The ‘Manthan4Yuva’ campaign concluded on Sunday with an event at Reshimbag Ground, attended by thousands of young people and youth icons from various fields: Reports
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday accused Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of having “double standards” on women’s empowerment, alleging that while Mr Gandhi speaks about women’s rights on public platforms, his party has opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill. Mr Fadnavis also launched a sharp attack on the Congress, describing it as a “directionless” party, while addressing the concluding event of the Gen-Z-focused ‘Manthan4Yuva’ campaign in Nagpur.
The programme, organised by Yuva Manch, an organisation reportedly close to the BJP Yuva Morcha and ABVP, was held against the backdrop of the Congress’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme addressed by Mr Gandhi in Pune on Saturday. At the Pune event, Mr Gandhi had urged female students to “smash the prevailing patriarchy” that restricts women and prevents them from achieving their aspirations.
The ‘Manthan4Yuva’ campaign concluded on Sunday with an event at Reshimbag Ground, attended by thousands of young people and youth icons from various fields. Mr Fadnavis interacted with Gen-Z participants and answered questions on civic engagement, leadership and opportunities for young people.
The BJP-led outreach to young voters comes amid heightened political attention to the youth following the Jantar Mantar protest over the alleged NEET paper leak and the subsequent resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a post on X, Mr Fadnavis said: “A sea of young faces, a roar of enthusiasm and dreams that know no limits. This energy and ambition of our youth will power our journey towards a Viksit Maharashtra and Viksit Bharat!”
Speaking to reporters after the programme, Mr Fadnavis said the gathering was not the result of mobilisation. He said several events had been organised as part of the campaign over the past few days and around 1.5 lakh people had participated in them. He claimed that 20,000 to 25,000 people attended Sunday’s event at Reshimbag Ground.
He also said around 4,100 boys and girls from Maharashtra’s Gen-Z community had participated in a dhol-tasha performance that created a new world record. According to Mr Fadnavis, the programme reflected the aspirations and direction of the state’s Gen-Z population.
Turning to Mr Gandhi, Mr Fadnavis said he should answer questions raised by BJP leader Chitra Wagh. “Parliament is supreme under the Constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to ensure that 33 per cent of the seats in Parliament are reserved for women. But Rahul Gandhi opposed this. In Pune, he speaks about women’s rights. However, true empowerment and women’s rights can be ensured through the Women’s Reservation Bill, which Rahul Gandhi and his party did not support. This is Rahul Gandhi’s double standard,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Congress, Mr Fadnavis called it a “directionless party”. “In recent times, it has become a party of people who are merely talkative. A large number of people in the party indulge in empty talk. Their only job now is to speak every day, make statements before the media and remain relevant. They have lost contact with the grassroots,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal hit back, alleging that the BJP was rattled by the response to Mr Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme and was attempting to replicate the Congress’s youth outreach.
