Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve said: “The CM has surrendered to Delhi. He is at their beck and call… Why else did he convene the function at 7 am and finish the programme within 15 minutes?” (PTI Photo)The Opposition in Maharashtra criticised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for convening the official Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din event in Aurangabad at 7 am Saturday, and for leaving for Hyderabad soon after to participate in the Hyderabad Liberation Day programme attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, apart from chief ministers of Karnataka and Telangana.
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve said: “The CM has surrendered to Delhi. He is at their beck and call… Why else did he convene the function at 7 am and finish the programme within 15 minutes?”
Earlier, at the event in Aurangabad, Shinde hoisted the Tricolour and promised holistic development for the Marathwada region comprising eight districts.
“Our government is committed to bring industrial growth and address the water crisis in the region. We also promise to bring equitable growth in the region,” he said.
In neighbouring Nanded district, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hoisted the national flag to celebrate Marathwada Liberation Day.
Later, Fadnavis inaugurated a book and a documentary film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event.
A crowd of jobseekers raised slogans at the Marathwada Din programme in Nanded. The youths were demanding a police recruitment drive. Some also criticised the state government for allowing the Vedanta-Foxconn project to relocate to Gujarat. The police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
However, there was no report of any injury.
Earlier, while speaking at the event, the Deputy CM termed the Marathwada Mukti Sangram agitation as an important milestone in India’s Independence.
Fadnavis said, “The state government is committed to expedite its ambitious water-grid project to make Marathwada drought-free. The plans for industrial growth will be fast tracked to bring greater economic prosperity and employment in the backward region.”
Notably, although India got Independence on August 15, 1947, the Marathwada region which was then a part of the princely state of Hyderabad had to wait till September 17, 1948, to join the Union in the face of resistance from Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan.