MUMBAI: The mood in the state BJP is palpably upbeat as Devendra Gangadhar Fadnavis takes on the MVA regime, laying bare “corruption in the police” and the “sinister nexus that lies behind routine transfers”.
The BJP rank and file thinks Fadnavis’ crusade augurs well for the party, which appeared a tad disconcerted after it lost power to MVA in 2019 despite bagging over 100 seats and needed a rallying point for the 2022 BMC elections.
In the past, the former CM has come across as shrill in his role as opposition leader. The Sushant Singh Rajput case and the Kangana Ranaut controversy, to name a few, were instances when he clashed with the MVA regime, but could not sustain the momentum.
But Fadnavis has now come into his own following l’affaire Waze, said associates on Tuesday, as he flew out to Delhi to lobby with the Union home secretary for action on the basis of a state intelligence department report containing audio intercepts purportedly pointing to large scale corruption in police transfers and postings. It was the latest salvo from the Vidarbha lawyer-turned-politician in a fast-festering crisis sparked by the Ambani security scare and its fallout.
Observers say Fadnavis’ anti-MVA tirade stems chiefly from his ire over the Sena walking out on BJP in 2019. He was stung by Uddhav Thackeray’s somersault, said a friend. Assuming the Sena’s decision to switch sides had a personal impact, he still managed to get under the skin of his role as Opposition leader, dogged in the belief that power commits blunders.
A certain Sachin Waze turned out to be the gaffe he was looking for. Fadnavis rolled up his sleeves to tear into the MVA on the floor of the state assembly early this month, producing call data records of the cop investigating the case and the man in whose vehicle the explosives were found.
Fadnavis spoke for nearly two hours, shooting holes into government’s claims. “The speech was packed with sensitive details which only higher-ups in the home department have access to,” said a Vidhan Bhavan official. His friends in the police fed him the crucial details, rued an NCP politician, not realising he was paying a compliment to his networking skills. A week later, Saamna, the Sena mouthpiece, also praised Fadnavis, saying in his assembly speech, the Opposition leader struck all the right notes.
“Devendraji has an analytical mind. He can fuse facts into a convincing argument. Also, he loves a good fight,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar.
Sources said Fadnavis is aware the BJP bosses in Delhi are not keen on toppling the MVA government. Instead, the party may want him to expose contradictions within the ruling coalition and build a strategic edge for itself.