Devendra Fadnavis's response on closure of 36,000 companies in Maharashtra a verbal jugglery: NCP (SP)

The NCP SP on Saturday accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of attempting to mislead people over the closure of more than 36000 companies in the state days after party chief Sharad Pawar raised concerns about the issueThe party cited a response from the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha regarding the shutdown of 36211 companies in Maharashtra over the past five yearsResponding to criticism from the Opposition Fadnavis had claimed that some people were deliberately citing figures of nonfunctional companies that had never commenced operationsThe NCP SP however said on Saturday that the official response presented in the Lok Sabha did not state that 76 per cent of the companies were defunct or had never started as claimed by the chief ministerParty questions Fadnaviss explanationIn a post on X the NCP SP alleged that Fadnaviss response amounted to an attempt to sidestep the central issue by focusing on technicalities surrounding the dataThe party said the chief ministers response reveals his style of wordplay juggling numbers and sidestepping the question on technical groundsIf 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 countrys highest legislative forum the NCP SP saidThe party argued that the issue was not merely about the number of companies registered or closed but also about the impact of such closures on workers and employment in MaharashtraNCP SP raises workers concernsThe party pointed out that Shiv Sena UBT MP Rajabhau Wajes question had specifically sought information about the rehabilitation of workers who lost their jobs as well as their provident fund gratuity and pending wagesIf 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 addedThe party said the concerns raised in the parliamentary question went beyond company registration figures and involved the livelihood and financial security of workers affected by business closuresIt argued that any discussion about the closure of thousands of companies should also address the employment consequences and the support available to affected workersParty questions ministrys data responseThe NCP SP also questioned Fadnaviss contention that the Union ministry had merely provided data on company registrations while responding to the parliamentary questionIf 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 askedThe party said the explanation raised questions about how parliamentary questions concerning employment and workers rights were being addressedUnemployment remains larger political issueThe NCP SP alleged that presenting data selectively might help the government buy time but argued that public concern over unemployment in Maharashtra reflected a broader issueThe party said the closure of companies and its impact on employment could not be addressed merely by debating whether the companies had been operational or whether the figures referred to registrationsThe latest exchange comes days after Sharad Pawar raised concerns over the closure of more than 36000 companies in Maharashtra Fadnavis subsequently defended the governments position and questioned the interpretation of the figures cited by the Opposition