We will not assess Opposition by numbers, but by the issues they raise: Fadnavis

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said though the roles played by former CM Eknath Shinde and he had changed the coordination between them and the momentum with which they would advance together would not alter The CM was referring to the role reversal at the topFadnavis said he was the CM in 2014 and 2019 and became the deputy CM in 2022 Now he was the CM with Shinde as his deputy The statement came in the wake of speculations that Shinde was upset and took time to take up the new positionCM Devendra Fadnavis addresses his first press conference after being sworn in at Mantralaya on December 5The CM said Shinde wasnrsquot upset ldquoHe Shinde readily agreed to be the DyCM when I requested him on Wednesdayrdquo he said adding that he gave Shinde his example of 2022 when he first said no to being part of the government and later realised that his staying away would adversely impact the coordination between the government and the party he representedFadnavis laid out his priorities immediately after taking the oath of office and charge of the government He was addressing a meetthepress event organised by the Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Patrakar Sangh on Thursday eveningldquoI told the first cabinet meeting and bureaucrats that when we returned in 2022 it was a 50overs match When Ajit Pawar joined it became a 2020 game Henceforth it will be a Test match We will have to take policy decisions to lay the foundation for longterm achievementsrdquo he saidNo revengeHe said his government would not work towards seeking revenge but to make a difference Badla naahi tar badala che sarkar asel ldquoWe will not assess the Opposition by their numbers in the Assembly but by the issues they raise We will provide a stable governmentrdquo he said adding that there would not be surprises such as the state had been seen since 2019 He said the government would approve the speakerrsquos decision to endorse the Opposition leader despite the fact that they didnrsquot have the requisite numbers to claim the postHe said all parties would have to think about keeping the political atmosphere peaceful He said he was all for maintaining communication with other parties including those in the Opposition I personally invited Sharad Pawar Uddhav Thackeray Sushil Kumar Shinde Raj Thackeray and Prithviraj Chavan to the swearingin They congratulated me But they could not attend due to some reasonsrdquoCabinet expansionFadnavis said the Cabinet would be expanded before the winter session of the legislature ldquoThere was a delay in 2004 and 2009 too We have almost finalised portfolio allocations and the number of cabinet berths to be given to the partners However I will not announce it unilaterally The respective parties will tell you about itrdquo he added However he said that he Shinde and Pawar were on the same page as far as selecting a good team of ministers was concerned ldquoWe have been evaluating ministers who were in the previous team There may be a possibility of a good performer not being included because of the need to maintain a regional balancerdquo he said but didnrsquot part with information about the sharing of the allimportant home portfolio which Shinde is said to eyeingFlagship schemesFadnavis said like 201419 he had some schemes ideas on his mind but his priorities were to complete the schemes that were started in the last two and a half years I will have a war room working more effectively to monitor the schemesHe said the schemes such as Ladki Bahin river linking and solar energy farms which reduce consumption of coalfired electricity would continue ldquoPromises will be kept and peoplefriendly decisions will be taken We will overcome hurdles and march forwardrdquo he saidAsked about balancing the budget in view of expensive social schemes he said such schemes too gave returns ldquoWe have increased the budget for social schemes four to five times There will be social and economic returns Balancing the budget will be our jobrdquo he saidHe added that the government would take a call on increasing the Ladki Bahin schemersquos benefit from R1500 to R2100 in the next budget2022Year Fadnavis was sworn in as deputy CMRs 1500Monthly amount received by Ladki Bahin beneficiariesFirst actions as CMFadnavis approved assistance of R5 lakh for a cancer patient As the CM he had set up a medical aid cell which continued to operate since his term as DyCM began in 2022