Pune: Balasaheb Fadnavis, uncle of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Sunday said he believes his nephew has the potential to become the Prime Minister of India in the future.Speaking at the launch of the book Deva Bhau, based on the chief minister’s life and political journey, Balasaheb said, “I do not think there is anyone in history who has achieved so much at such a young age, in such a short span, and so smoothly. I believe he will become the Prime Minister of India one day.”Balasaheb, who lives in Pune, is the brother of Devendra Fadnavis’ father, Gangadharrao Fadnavis. Recalling the early days of the Jan Sangh, Balasaheb said he and his brother campaigned extensively in rural areas despite having neither funds nor party workers.He said Gangadharrao, an active Jan Sangh leader, worked in villages where party workers often faced hostility, including stone-pelting and verbal abuse during election campaigns.“Gangadharrao was aggressive in his work but compassionate by nature. He reached places where no one else would go, even areas where the Jan Sangh had no presence. In some villages, people would pelt stones at us and abuse us simply for taking the Jan Sangh’s name. But Gangadharrao never backed down. Years later, even the sarpanch of those villages joined the BJP,” he said, adding that he sees many of his brother’s qualities, including his commitment and perseverance, in his nephew.“Once Devendra decides to do something, he never stops until he achieves it. His depth of study and commitment are extraordinary,” Balasaheb said.Recalling Devendra Fadnavis’ early years, Balasaheb said he was a topper in law college and possessed exceptional oratory skills, leading the family to believe he would enter politics. He added that noted lawyer Shrihari Aney, under whom Devendra worked, had once remarked that he would one day become an even more successful lawyer than himself. “However, destiny had something else in store for him,” Balasaheb said.The book launch programme was also attended by Chandrakant Patil and other BJP office-bearers, including the party’s state general secretary, Rajesh Pande.Patil described Devendra Fadnavis as a hardworking politician who never refuses to meet people at Mantralaya and personally follows up on every assurance he gives to those who approach him with their grievances.“He has executed several projects, such as the Missing Link and the Atal Tunnel, and undertaken works that nobody could have imagined,” Patil said.
