BJP leadership to decide on Khadse's reinduction after Ganesh festival, says Devendra Fadnavis

Nagpur: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said a decision on reinducting NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse into the BJP will be taken by the party's central leadership after the ongoing Ganesh festival.

He also said that farmers will hugely benefit from the Centre's decision to increase the customs duty on crude and refined sunflower and soybean oils.

Talking to reporters at the Nagpur airport while answering a query on Khadse's possible return to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Fadnavis said, "Whatever decision the BJP's central leadership takes will be accepted. We will hold talks with the party leadership and a decision will be made after the ongoing Ganesh festival." Speculation about Khadse, a former BJP leader currently with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, returning to the saffron party intensified after the BJP renominated his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse as Lok Sabha candidate, and made her a Union Minister of State after she won.

But there has been no announcement from the BJP yet on his reinduction despite Khadse expressing willingness earlier this year.

Speaking to a regional news channel earlier this week, Khadse said, "I was not keen on returning to the BJP fold, but senior leaders of the party insisted on it. When I met BJP president J P Nadda, he felicitated me with a scarf, and declared that I had become part of the BJP." Khadse joined the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in October 2020 after quitting the BJP. He had then accused Fadnavis of trying to destroy his political career.

Talking to reporters, Fadnavis welcomed the hike in basic customs duty on the crude and refined sunflower and soybean oils.

The government on Friday increased the basic customs duty on crude palm, soybean and sunflower seed oil from nil to 20 per cent, and the basic customs duty on refined palm, soybean and sunflower oil from 12.5 per cent to 32.5 per cent.

It also cut the duty on onion export to 20 per cent from 40 per cent, which was in place since May 4.

"The Modi government has taken very important decisions so that farmers get good price for their produce. Farmers will hugely benefit from these moves," he said.

"Earlier, a crisis had emerged on the issue of onions. But the government's decision to slash export duty on onion will prove to be hugely beneficial to the growers of this crop. All these decisions will benefit soybean, onion and Basmati rice farmers and it will indirectly benefit cotton growers as well," he said.

Hailing the renaming of Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram, Fadnavis said the symbols of slavery should be removed.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that Port Blair, the capital city of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has been renamed Sri Vijaya Puram.