Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted on Monday that the opposition is resorting to campaigns of misinformation and false narratives ahead of polls because they cannot compete with the government`s record on development, reported news agency PTI.
Addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Wardha, part of the state`s Vidarbha region, he also lauded the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, whilst claiming that “99 per cent of opposers have not even read the legislation.”
“We have changed the face of every city since 2014. We should bear in mind that our opponents cannot compete with us on the issue of development. They cannot compete with the development initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hence, they carry out a misinformation campaign and create false narratives every day,” Fadnavis stated.
According to PTI, the Chief Minister added that the opposition is reluctant to discuss development-related issues because these parties are aware that citizens will then question their own achievements when they were in power.
Furthermore, citing the example of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, he claimed that the opposition is constructing a false narrative, asserting that the Bill is unconstitutional and designed to suppress public voices, PTI reported.
“The government had formed a committee with regards to the Bill, which included leaders from all parties. The Bill was unanimously passed in the legislature after discussions. However, some of them (opposition) got instructions from their high command and some `parrots` started speaking against the Bill,” he said, using a colourful analogy.
Meanwhile, Fadnavis clarified that the Bill has been introduced to take action against “urban Naxals” and those who plan to sow anarchy and instigate people against the Constitution.
“Urban Naxals made Maharashtra their centre after they were banned in states where such bills were introduced. I can vouch that 99 per cent of those speaking against the Bill have not even read it. But these persons are attempting to create a false narrative. They will continue to come up with such narratives ahead of (local body) polls,” he warned.
He recalled that during the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition claimed the BJP wanted to change the Constitution, but they failed to effectively spread such misinformation during the November assembly polls, which the BJP-led Mahayuti won comprehensively.
“Since they do not want discussions on development, they will bring narratives of language, caste, and so forth. In the next two months, they will introduce narratives which have no connection to the progress of people,” Fadnavis asserted.
(With inputs from PTI)