Former Maharashtra Chief Minister has rejected Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anant Kumar Hedge's claim, stating Fadnavis was appointed the chief minister of Maharashtra to protect the central funds. No money was returned to the Centre, Fadnavis said, adding he did not take any such decision as caretaker chief minister
"No money has been returned to the Centre and no policy decision was taken by him as caretaker chief minister," Fadnavis said in his reply.
"This claim is completely false. No such incident occurred. As far as the bullet train project is concerned, the Maharashtra government has no role except land acquisition," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
He further clarified that neither did the central government ask for any money nor did the Maharashtra government honour any such request.
In a shocking revelation, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anant Kumar Hegde has said Devendra Fadnavis was appointed the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in order to prevent central funds worth Rs 40,000 crore from being misused. These funds would have been misused by an opposition coalition led by the Shiv Sena, Hegde said on Saturday.
Anant Kumar Hegde, the MP for Uttara Kannada (Karnataka) said it took Fadnavis just 15 hours to move the money, adding all of it was returned to the central government.
The BJP had staged a "drama" to save the funds, he said.
Devendra Fadnavis was unexpectedly sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra while the coalition (Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena) were in talks to form a government in Maharashtra.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar simultaneously took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Meanwhile, the Sena took a dim view of the objections raised by Fadnavis during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's floor test on Saturday.
When the House assembled on Saturday, Fadnavis alleged the Assembly session was not being held as per constitutional norms. He also objected to the appointment of NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil as the pro-tem Speaker of the Assembly.
The swearing-in of ministers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was also not done as per the constitutional norms, he alleged.
However, Walse Patil rejected his claim, saying the session was being held as per Governor's nod. The BJPP MLAs walked out before head count began in the 288-member House.
The Sena also said that the appointment of Congress leader Nana Patole as Speaker of the Assembly was a "tight slap on the face of the BJP".
Patole had earlier quit the Congress and won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket. However, he returned to the Congress in December 2017 citing differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis.
"Patole was the first BJP Lok Sabha member who revolted against Prime Minister Modi, saying the latter does not allow party MPs to speak," the Sena claimed.
He came back to the Congress and became Speaker of the Assembly. Now, Patole will decide whether Fadnavis should speak or not in the House, the Sena said in taunting remarks.
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