TALKING tough, newly-elected Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari reminded that he has in past won President’s medal in debate contest while indicating that he is ready to take on the State Government and civic administration if situation comes to such a pass. Replying to query about what seems to be tug of war between ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and civic administration, Tiwari said he has been past master in Wadvivad (debate) and is ready again for the same if the situation demands.

 

The new Mayor is well regarded for his oratory and known to speak his mind. His rise in the politics is attributed to debating skills that in past had won him recognition and many awards. He also quipped that one gathers strength with tussle and appeared unfazed at emerging challenges. Tiwari also criticised State Government for holding the special general body meeting of NMC for election through online mode, saying such special rules just for Opposition run civic body does not augur well in democracy. Clearing that the BJP had no issues over mode of holding meeting but clearly there cannot be two rules within a State, one for NMC and other for Pimpri Chinchwad.

 

Just because at Pimpri Chinchwad the ruling party was Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and hence State Government allowed physical meeting to elect new Deputy Mayor. So., how come only at NMC, the COVID-19 concerns emerge or is it because two sons of the soil Nitin Gadkari and Devendra Fadnavis hail from here. The UDD officials invoked pandemic rules to force virtual election on the corporators. Even corporators are representatives of citizens and no one has right to queer pitch for them due to political or ideological opposition and such steps are retrograde in democracy. As to priorities, Tiwari said focus would remain on intervention in education and health sector. As head of NMC, it would be ensured that citizens get best of services from the administration.

 

The policies and programmes outlined by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in their vision document for city for period of 2017-2022 would be implemented. Similarly, the projects floated by former Mayor Sandip Joshi but that could not take off due to COVID19 pandemic would be completed. The pending work of distribution of land titles to slum-dwellers would also be takenup to its logical conclusion. He also said that 107 votes bagged in Mayor and Deputy Mayor nominee of BJP silenced the doubt sayers who had predicted division within ruling party