‘Marathas have faith in BJP,' says Prataprao Chikhalikar

Growth is the key In past years there has never been any focus on the industrial growth of Nanded But now the situation has started changing We are working on the development of infrastructure that can attract industries BJP candidate from Nanded Prataprao Chikhalikar tells midday about his plans for the constituencyChikhalikar said the BJP government was working on the betterment of the farmers and the youthExcerpts from an interview with ChikhalikarThe Opposition claims the Maratha community is not happy with the BJP and the state governmentNo our government has assured the Maratha community about reservation People know that the government will keep its word Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil had created a wave for the Maratha reservation However he never told followers or the community to vote for any particular party Voters have faith in us They will vote for us There are a few misunderstandings but we will change that You will see the change on June 4Prataprao PatilChikhalikar right along with Ashok Chavan member of Rajya Sabha PicNimesh DaveIn Nanded city the traffic situation is terribleYes this is partly true but we have slowly started developing the infrastructure You will witness the results soon We have men like Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who will prepare the master plan for infrastructure development along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis We will introduce a flyover in the city and other infrastructure to address the traffic situation We have a clear vision for developmentUnemployment and farmersrsquo issues are major concerns in the area How do you plan to tackle themWersquore focused on infrastructure to facilitate industries like airports railways and roads Our government has initiated airport and railway projects and wersquore enhancing road networks including a new national highway in Nanded and a mega connector to the Samruddhi Mahamarg Additionally plans are underway to link Nanded with the Samruddhi Mahamarg via Jalna Wersquore also developing a household pipe gas network benefiting women Our government is committed to comprehensive planning and vision for all sectorsFarmers suffer due to water scarcity What do you plan to do about the irrigation issueYes this issue plagues our farmers We are working to enhance irrigation methods Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasised this in his address Securing funds from the Central government for irrigation development in the district is a priority Improved access to water akin to solar pump systems will improve growth ultimately increasing farmersrsquo incomesThe youth of Nanded are migrating due to a lack of jobs and uncertain income from farminghellipSee this is a chain If we develop industries in Nanded the youth will get jobs If we develop irrigation in the district farmersrsquo incomes will rise If we develop infrastructure we can attract industriesWhat about other communities Why will they vote for BJPPeople from diverse communities believed in the PMrsquos vision During his address in Nanded Modi tackled the pressing concerns of Marathwada Despite being political rivals in the previous election MP Ashok Chavan and I are now allies He is a strong leader and has a good relationship with all communities