Development In Pune Stalled, Claims Congress Candidate
Development In Pune Stalled, Claims Congress Candidate
Ravindra Dhangekar addressing a crowd during the padayatra in Pune’s Kasba constituency.
Ravindra Dhangekar, who is the Congress party’s candidate for Pune in the Lok Sabha, has claimed that the city’s growth has been negatively impacted over the past ten years. He criticized the current government and raised the question of why, despite having 100 city council members, six state legislators, and one Member of Parliament – all under the BJP’s rule – the city has not received significant development funds from the state or central governments.
Dhangekar made these remarks after completing a walking tour, known as a padayatra, in the Kasba area. This event saw a large turnout of local activists and residents. He pointed out that during a period when Congress and its allies were in power, from 1992 to 2017, except for a short break, Pune saw significant advancements with ₹2500 crores in funds from the central government’s Jawaharlal Nehru Yojana contributing to its development.
However, he argued that since the BJP has been in charge, the city has suffered due to their lack of action, leading to problems such as traffic jams, poor water supply, environmental degradation, and unemployment. Dhangekar emphasized the need for new leadership and encouraged the citizens to vote for the Congress party in the upcoming elections by choosing the Mahavikas Aghadi and India Aghadi Congress party symbols on May 13. The padayatra started at the Mahatma Phule Memorial and concluded at Khadakmal Ali, with Dhangekar walking and talking with the people along the way. Many leaders and activists from the Congress, NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and Aam Aadmi Party joined the walk.
