People’s problems are his concerns
And he tries to solve them with his heart out
That is why he is loved so much
And becomes a saint through lore.
The above verse, based on the abhang of Jagatguru Tukobaraya, may be applied to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. During his 1st term as the CM of Maharashtra, Fadnavis took many pathbreaking decisions, such as creating a separate ministry for OBCs, providing reservation to the displaced Maratha community, starting many schemes for poor Maratha students, benefit schemes specific to Dhangars, and so on. Later, as the Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis continued with his beneficial drive by creating separate corporations for the Ramoshi, Vadar, Lingayat, Gurav, and Banjara communities. And he did this without thinking of any political advantage out of this, as these communities aren’t considered vote banks in that sense. Devendra Fadnavis’s efforts paved the way for inclusive development by bringing the poor and neglected sections of society into the mainstream.
Recently, Devendra Fadnavis invited the members of the Katkari community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, to his office and distributed land plots to them. The lands of these 17 Katkari families in Raigad district were grabbed by moneylenders for just Rs 200 or by giving them chicken once a week. But once Devendra Fadnavis returned to power and came to know about their plight, the Katkari brothers got their rightful lands back.
Like other tribal groups, the Katkari people live in perpetual poverty and are often exploited due to very little access to justice. Referring to the exploitations faced by the Katkari community, which is constantly wandering to earn a living as laborers, Devendra Fadnavis, on the final week resolution in the winter session, spoke about the Katkari community with great passion for 20 minutes, announcing many decisions by his government to bring this community into the mainstream. He assured of immediate police action against the complaint of embezzlement of wages of the Katkari laborers and even the suspension of the investigative officer if found to be delaying in taking action. Apart from this, Devendra Fadnavis’ decisions to provide education and nutritious food to the children of the Katkari community also made a significant impact on the lives of Katkari people. Devendra Fadnavis is not the kind of leader who would look at political gain before taking a step; rather he goes all out to protect the interests of all communities and ensures their right to live with dignity.
If we analyze Devendra Fadnavis as CM and Dy. CM, we will find that many of his decisions for the betterment of society are unique and no previous government had ever paid attention to. This can only come from a deep commitment to the citizens’ interest, exercising transparency and authority to do the needful without compromise, and visionary power. Devendra Fadnavis was raised in a culture where great leaders like Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay presented the idea of Antyodaya, which says we cannot be considered a developed society unless the last person has been brought into the mainstream. This is the philosophy that Devendra Fadnavis adopted in his political life. We can take the example of how remote Naxal-affected areas in Maharashtra are coming into mainstream society. Gadchiroli and Gondia were known for Naxalism, malnutrition, and lack of governance. But after Devendra Fadnavis became the chief minister, he took all measures to eliminate Naxalism in these regions and give the locals a new direction in their lives so they could change their path from extremism to development through education, jobs, and other avenues. As Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis would often visit sensitive villages in Gadchiroli district to build a bridge of communication with the villagers and the tribes. His government initiated the construction of roads and other facilities in these areas and also brought a huge steel industry to Surjagad. Due to his sincere and bold efforts, Gadchiroli district is emerging today as a steel hub.
The track record of Devendra Fadnavis speaks volumes about his efforts to help and empower the marginalized, downtrodden, deprived, and exploited people of the state, irrespective of caste. This is his natural inclination that comes from his inherent nature, never dictated by the motive of political gain. The life of Devendra Fadnavis brings us a rare example of a political leader rising high with the currency of public blessings, acquired through genuine efforts to change their lives, very similar to the life and rise of PM Modi.
Kudos to Devendraji! Keep up your inclusive development in Maharashtra.