NAGPUR: Mahayuti alliance leaders made a strong poll pitch at a Ladki Bahin event in Nagpur on Saturday, with chief minister Eknath Shinde promising to double the monthly payout under the scheme from the current Rs 1,500, if their govt is given “more power” in the upcoming elections.
Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar also rallied around the election plank, with the former warning that the opposition was trying to shut down the scheme.Shinde used a bit of Bollywood flair to make his point, saying, “Yeh toh trailer tha, picture abhi baaki hai.”
“We will take the monthly payout to Rs 2,500, then Rs 3,000. Our intention is to give much higher than that. For that, you have to give us more power,” he added.
Shinde said the opposition was crying hoarse because it had realised the popularity of the scheme and feared its political fallout. Pawar said, “Elections will be held in Nov and if you vote us to power, I promise the scheme will continue for another five years.” The scheme was a great help for “women suffering due to poverty”, the NCP chief said, adding the opposition “does not understand this…(because) they were born with a silver spoon”.
Fadnavis said Congress was behind a PIL filed against the scheme at the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court. “This is the true face of the opposition,” he added.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari said: “Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan had launched a similar scheme and it helped women tremendously there..”