Maharashtra: NCP (SP) slams Fadnavis 'wordplay' over 36,000 company closures

The NCP (SP) on Saturday, 15 August accused Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of trying to mislead people over the closure of more than 36,000 companies in the state, days after party chief Sharad Pawar raised concerns over the issue.

The NCP (SP) cited the Union ministry of corporate affairs' response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on the shutdown of 36,211 companies in Maharashtra over the past five years.

Responding to the Opposition's criticism, Fadnavis had claimed that some people were deliberately citing figures for non-functional companies that had never commenced operations.

On Saturday, the NCP (SP) said on X that the official Lok Sabha reply did not mention that 76 per cent of the companies were "defunct" or had "never started", as claimed by the chief minister.

The party alleged that Fadnavis' response 'reveals his style of wordplay, juggling numbers and sidestepping the question on technical grounds'.

'If, as you claim, the format of answers given in Parliament is fixed, then your argument itself raises questions about the completeness and accuracy of the written answers provided to the country's highest legislative forum,' the NCP (SP) said.

It also pointed out that Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Rajabhau Waje's question had specifically sought information on the rehabilitation of workers who had lost their jobs, provident fund, gratuity and pending wages.

'If the Union Ministry is answering MPs' questions without understanding their substance and the basic concerns behind them, your argument gives the impression that Union ministers are relying more on bureaucracy than on the actual situation in the country,' the NCP (SP) added.

The party further questioned Fadnavis' contention that the Union ministry had merely provided data on company registrations. 'If the ministry has only provided data on company registrations while answering the question, then it means the ministry itself has avoided the actual issue raised in the question. In that case, whom should MPs approach for direct answers to their questions?' it asked.

The party alleged that presenting data 'selectively' might help the government 'buy time', but said the growing public anger over unemployment in Maharashtra reflected a larger concern.

With PTI inputs