Amruta Fadnavis slams Sanjay Raut over “Davos picnic” jibe at CM

A political war of words erupted after Sanjay Raut mocked the Davos visit, drawing a sharp response from Amruta Fadnavis defending the CM’s role at WEF

PGurus Newsdesk

January 22, 2026

Not a picnic, but investment push: Amruta Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is in Davos for serious investment talks and not on a “picnic,” his wife Amruta Fadnavis said on Wednesday, hitting back at Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut for what she described as his baseless and irresponsible remarks.

Fadnavis is currently in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, where Indian states are pitching for global investments and job creation.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai, Amruta Fadnavis said she could “never understand” the language used by Raut, but stressed that his comments were completely divorced from reality.

“Someone who goes on a picnic does not hold meetings and conferences daily from 6 am to 11 pm to bring investment to India and Maharashtra and to create employment,” she said. “Like many of his earlier statements, this one too is baseless.”

She underlined that the WEF is a globally recognised platform where leaders from across the world present their economic vision, attract businesses and explore investment opportunities. “Going to Davos is not leisure. It is the duty of the head of every state in India to represent their state on such a global stage,” she added.

What Sanjay Raut said — and why it drew backlash

Raut had earlier mocked chief ministers attending the Davos summit, claiming they were “having a picnic” and dismissed the WEF as “ridiculous from an Indian perspective.” He also demanded that the travel expenses of leaders attending the summit be made public.

The comments drew criticism from BJP leaders, who accused the Shiv Sena-UBT MP of indulging in gutter-level political rhetoric and trivialising serious efforts to attract investment and employment.

Asked separately about the issue of Mumbai’s mayor, Amruta Fadnavis said the city would have a Marathi mayor.

Devendra Fadnavis has recently been credited with steering the BJP-led Mahayuti to a strong performance in the municipal corporation elections, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

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