‘You don’t define Maharashtra’: Opposition reminds Fadnavis of his own words after ‘rental ponies’ attack

A sharp political confrontation has broken out in Maharashtra after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis used the terms “rental ponies” and “liars” while responding to criticism of the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project in the State Assembly. His remarks have triggered strong reactions from opposition parties, with leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress accusing him of insulting critics instead of addressing concerns about the project.

The controversy comes just days after heavy rainfall caused a landslide at the Missing Link project site, leading to traffic disruption for several hours.

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Landslide sparks questions over mega project

The political debate began after Monday’s heavy rains triggered a landslide at the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project, which has been promoted as a major engineering achievement. The viral videos of the incident prompted opposition leaders and social media users to question whether the project had been built to the expected standards.

While replying to the debate in the Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Fadnavis strongly defended the project and dismissed the criticism. However, instead of ending the discussion, his choice of words led to an even bigger political dispute.

Fadnavis defends project and attacks critics

During his speech, Fadnavis said he was no longer affected by personal criticism directed at him.

He remarked that people could criticise Devendra Fadnavis as much as they wanted because he had become “abuse-proof.” However, he urged critics not to damage Maharashtra’s reputation by questioning what he described as one of the state’s finest projects.

The Chief Minister went on to accuse his critics of spreading false information. He said they appeared to have been “born after a crore of liars died,” suggesting they had no hesitation in making false claims.

Fadnavis also alleged that paid online campaigns were being run against the project. Referring to such critics, he said even a street dog would not notice some of them, yet they had taken to social media to abuse the government. He warned that the government would not spare these “rental ponies,” claiming they were writing against the project for money.

Chief Minister quotes Urdu poetry

While defending the government’s handling of the rains and the expressway situation, Fadnavis also recited a famous Urdu couplet.

He quoted, “Girte hain shahsawar hi maidan-e-jang mein, wo tifl kya gire jo ghutno ke bal chale,” which means that only those who ride horses fall on the battlefield, while those who crawl on their knees never face such risks.

Fadnavis also rejected every allegation made by the opposition regarding the Missing Link project.

Bhaskar Jadhav reminds Fadnavis of his opposition days

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav strongly criticised the Chief Minister’s comments and reminded him of the time when he himself was Leader of the Opposition.

Jadhav questioned whether Fadnavis had forgotten the many allegations he had made against the previous government, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He recalled how BJP leaders regularly held press conferences to target the then government. According to Jadhav, Ashish Shelar, Prasad Lad, Pravin Darekar, Chandrakant Patil and Fadnavis himself frequently addressed the media with allegations.

Jadhav asked whether those accusations were acceptable then and said that no single leader had the authority to define Maharashtra.

Congress calls remarks inappropriate

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal also criticised the Chief Minister’s statements.

He compared Fadnavis’ accusations to “a thief blaming the police.” Sapkal questioned the Chief Minister’s credibility by recalling his earlier political promise that he would not marry until a separate Vidarbha state was created.

He also referred to a recent statement by Fadnavis predicting a cloudburst in Nashik, saying the forecast did not come true.

Sapkal argued that the public already knows who is speaking the truth. He added that if people asking questions are called “rental ponies,” then those responsible for poor-quality construction should instead be called “commission men” or takkewari purush.

Varsha Gaikwad says accountability is not anti-Maharashtra

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad said citizens have every right to seek answers when a project worth thousands of crores comes under scrutiny within just two months.

She argued that asking questions about the quality of public infrastructure should never be considered anti-Maharashtra.

According to Gaikwad, corruption by contractors and poor-quality work damage the state’s image far more than public criticism. She also said that calling citizens “rental” or “hired” people was not appropriate for someone holding the office of Chief Minister.

Sushma Andhare writes open letter to Chief Minister

Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Sushma Andhare launched one of the strongest attacks on Fadnavis by releasing an open letter.

She accused the Chief Minister of insulting not just opposition leaders but the people of Maharashtra by referring to critics as “dogs” and “rental ponies” inside the Assembly.

According to Andhare, citizens expected the Chief Minister to use his Assembly speech to discuss major issues affecting the state. She listed law and order, paper leak cases, women’s safety, student concerns and government employees protesting in heavy rain as matters that deserved attention.

The disagreement over the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project has now moved beyond questions of engineering and infrastructure to become a wider political battle over accountability, public criticism and democratic debate.