Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis took a swipe at Uddhav Thackeray's Ram Raksha event, stating he was glad the UBT chief realised Lord Ram's importance. Fadnavis hoped the event wouldn't be political, amid Thackeray's allegations against the BJP.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray over his Ram Raksha recital event in Nagpur, saying he was glad Thackeray had realised the importance of Lord Ram.

Addressing reporters in Pune after performing the groundbreaking ceremony of various road infrastructure projects in Pune district, Fadnavis said, "First of all, I am happy that Uddhav Thackeray has realised that 'Jo Ram ka nahin, woh kisi kaam ka nahin.' That is why he has returned to Lord Ram, and I congratulate him. If he is organising a Ram Raksha recital, I hope that this time he at least takes Lord Ram's name sincerely and does not turn it into a political event."

Uddhav Thackeray had launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the donation embezzlement in the Ayodhya Ram Temple, alleging that the ruling party led the Kar Seva movement to loot the temple afterwards. Addressing the 'Ramraksha Maha Aarti' event in Nagpur, Uddhav Thackeray invoked the idea of 'Hindutva' and 'Hindu Rashtra' and alleged the BJP's involvement in the donation embezzlement. Accusing the BJP of gaining electoral benefits in the name of Lord Ram, Thackeray called for a "BJP-free Ram." "Fadnavis-ji, while reciting the 'Ramraksha' may be your task, ensuring 'Ramraksha'--is the duty of us devotees of Ram; we are the 'Ramrakshaks," the UBT Sena chief said.

Fadnavis on NEET exam results

Meanwhile, when asked about the alleged discrepancy in NEET examination results, the Chief Minister said the examination process was transparent and scientific. "I believe the entire process is quite transparent. It is clearly possible to determine how many marks a candidate has received from the answer sheet. If anyone has any grievance, they should approach the concerned agency through the grievance redressal mechanism. As far as the issue raised is concerned, I do not have complete information at the moment, but I believe the examination was conducted in a highly transparent and scientific manner," CM Fadnavis said.

The NEET-UG 2026 result was officially declared on July 16, following the re-examination on Jun 21 after the paper leak. (ANI)

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