BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday praised the role of Maharashtra in the country’s progress and said the state was advancing alongside the rest of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
During his Ganeshotsav visit to Mumbai, where he visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple and Lalbaugcha Raja, Nabin addressed BJP workers after offering prayers at a Ganpati pandal in suburban Mumbai.
He called Maharashtra the “holy land” of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, emphasising that the country was experiencing a period of “cultural revival” under PM Modi.
“The honourable chief minister used the right term — this is a time of cultural revival. Over the last 12 years, under the leadership of PM Modi, this has reached every section and every community of the country,” Nabin said.
He emphasised Maharashtra’s longstanding contribution to India’s development and its continued leadership.
“Maharashtra has always contributed to India’s development and continues to make a leading contribution today,” he said.
The BJP chief said he had come to Maharashtra merely to participate in the Ganesh festival and to seek blessings for the progress of the state and the nation.
He invoked the ideals of Lord Ram, saying that Indian culture and the country’s development should progress hand in hand.
“Let us all move forward by matching the pace of Indian culture with the pace of India’s development,” he said.
Nabin also highlighted PM Modi’s slogan, “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas”, saying 140 crore people are collectively working towards a developed India.
He expressed gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for their contribution to the country’s progress and extended his greetings on Ganeshotsav.
Nabin is on a daylong visit to Mumbai and Pune on the occasion of the Ganesh festival, which commenced on Monday.
He offered prayers at Siddhivinayak temple, Lalbaugcha Raja, and the Bandra West Ganpati founded by Culture Minister Ashish Shelar.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who accompanied the BJP chief, said Nitin Nabin represents the new generation and new leadership in the party.
“He is a symbol of the new energy and new blood brought into our organisation. Under Modiji’s leadership. There has been a cultural revival and all our festivals are now celebrated with great enthusiasm and grandeur,” he said.
Fadnavis said Nabin has been visiting the state and is well known among BJP workers from different parts of the state. He said cultural traditions of the country were being celebrated with greater enthusiasm under Modi’s leadership.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Nabin said he was fortunate to visit Maharashtra on the occasion of Ganesh festival, as it was his first visit to the state after becoming the BJP president.
“I am overwhelmed and pray for the welfare of Maharashtra and the country,” he said.
Nabin also witnessed the Ganesh festivities at Varsha, the CM’s official residence, sought blessings of the Lord Ganesha at Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s official residence, and paid a courtesy visit to Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar.
-PTI
