Meat ban, Maria and more: Rajdeep Sardesai responds strongly to Devendra Fadnavis’ open letter

A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s open letter on the recent meat ban in Mumbai and other issues, the latter on Wednesday (September 23) posted a point-by-point rebuttal on Facebook.

Thanking Fadnavis for replying on the questions raised earlier by him, Rajdeep starts his post by saying, “Firstly, I wish to thank you for replying to my open letter and creating space for a public debate. This is a sign of a truly healthy democracy and is rare for a politician in this day and age.”

Rajdeep adds that as a senior journalist it is his responsibility to ask the right questions and clarified that there is no hidden agenda in doing so.  He said, “Should I not ask as a journalist what useful public purpose has been served by this ban? Or does asking questions make me agenda driven?”

Here are a few excerpts from Rajdeep’s post:

On the beef ban

Rajdeep Sardesai blames the Fadnavis government for acting in a ‘unilateral fashion’ and also claims that the move affected the livelihood of those associated with cattle trade.

On the meat ban

The veteran scribe writes that while the earlier Congress government also imposed ban on meat sale during the Jain festival, it was more driven by the spirit of volunteerism. He adds that it was only this year that the BJP-dominated Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporation imposed an unprecedented eight day ban on meat sale and strictly enforced it.”

On Rakesh Maria’s transfer

Equating Rakesh Maria’s transfer to a game of musical chairs with the police commissioner’s office, Rajdeep refutes Fadnavis’ claim that Maria’s transfer was a routine one. He says that even senior officers didn’t buy this version. He also asks why  Maria continued to overlook the Sheena Bora case, despite Ahmed Javed’s appointment as the new commissioner.

On the sedition circular

In the post, Rajdeep openly questiones Fadnavis theory on the sedition circular and asks why the Maharashtra government didn’t just simply withdraw the circular. Fadnavis had claimed that the circular was a routine translation from Marathi of an order passed by the previous state government.

On the farmers’ plight

Drawing attention to this ‘deepening crisis’, Rajdeep urges Fadnavis to prioritize farmer relief above all other issues. He adds, “Yes, this is an inherited legacy (and I refer to the irrigation failures and comments made by previous ministers in my original letter), but on the ground there is hardly any evidence of the situation showing any marked improvement.”

On being called Leftist

To conclude, Rajdeep also slams Fadnavis for his pseudo-liberal and leftist jibe. He says, “I am happy to introspect, be corrected, but dislike being pigeonholed in any manner, except to say that I do believe in the spirit of a liberal, plural India that strives to provide equal opportunities to all its citizens. Does that make me a “Leftist?” as you appear to caricature all dissenters or questioners? If I question any form of bigotry, does that make me pseudo-secular? In my view, it makes me a proud, humane Indian.”

Read the entire post HERE

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Devendra Fadnavis’ 8-point response to Rajdeep Sardesai’s open letter on meat ban and more