MUMBAI: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that the historical contribution of Marathi people to Maharashtra is enormous and the state contributes the most to the country's GDP.
Commenting on BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s controversial statement that “you people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have?” the CM stated, "It is not right to speak in this way. Because the meanings that come out of it create confusion in the minds of the people."
"I say once again that the historical contribution of the Marathi people to Maharashtra is enormous. I think that no one can deny the contribution of Maharashtra and the Marathi people in the past and the present of this country. If anyone denies this, it is very wrong, ” he said.
CM Fadnavis chose to clear his stand amid strong protests by Opposition parties who slammed Nishikant Dubey and the BJP, accusing them of being enemies of Marathi people and Maharashtra.
Fadnavis further said, “When foreign invaders tried to destroy the culture of India, at that time Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did the work of keeping it alive. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj also did the same and after that the Marathas fought against the foreign invaders in the whole of India to keep the culture alive.