Let’s not talk about the walk

the people that his government will do every thing possible to reduce obesity among the citizens.

It was but natural that his detractors should pounce on him for that official tweet from his CMO handle and wonder when he would prioritise the hunger of starving farmers. Then, again, there has been a bumper crop of tuar daal this year and the Maharashtra government procured huge quantities of it from farmers. Fadnavis again patted his own back to tell the people that never before had such a price (Rs 4000 per quintal) been offered to farmers. There was instant rebuttal – past governments have procured tuar daal for as much as Rs 6,000 per quintal, opposition parties pointed out, handing more ammunition to detractors like Supriya Sule.

Then there is the Samruddhi Expressway project meant to connect Nagpur, his home town, to Bombay. The route must necessarily pass through much fertile land in various talukas of Nashik and this is an issue that the NCP, and Supriya, have got their teeth firmly into. With NCP support, farmers in the region have become intransigent and with just a little over two years to go to the term of this government, it is unlikely that the expressway will be completed on schedule.

Hemmed in from all sides by the opposition, Fadnavis, though, is also facing severe criticism from within. A close acolyte recently told me, “He must first find some time away from the beautiful people of the city. He is mostly rubbing shoulders with celebrities. Only when he stops giving them so much time and importance, will he be able to see what is going wrong with his government.’’

According to this acolyte, who counts himself as a close friend, the government of Maharashtra is on autopilot with no firm hand on the reins.

“Fadnavis is basically a happy-go-lucky kind of personality and he brings those traits to his style of governance. But such ease in governance does not deliver results. You have to keep the bureaucrats on a tight leash and you have to be on top of every situation which is not really happening in the government.’’

Perhaps he is right. But that is still no reason why Fadnavis’ personal style and idiosyncrasies should be targeted by political rivals. Supriya Sule, surely, can do better.