Pune (Maharashtra) [India], May 15 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday strongly supported the boycott of Turkish and Azerbaijani goods, saying Turkey 'committed the sin' of backing Pakistan.

His remarks came during a workshop organised by the Urban Development Department in Pune today, amid upcoming local body elections in the state.

Speaking to the media, Shinde said, 'I welcome and appreciate the traders who have imposed a boycott on Turkey. Turkey committed the sin of supporting Pakistan, which has barbarically killed our innocent people. As a result, Turkey must be boycotted, and this exclusion is justified. To those receiving threats, I assure you that no harm will come to you...there is no need to fear Pakistan.'

Shinde praised Rajasthan traders for their decision to boycott Turkish marble and Azerbaijani apples, calling it a 'sign of patriotism.'

He added that traders in Pune had taken similar action, showing solidarity against nations that support Pakistan.

Shinde also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on Pakistan and congratulated him for responding firmly.

'I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his courageous response to Pakistan. They have been taught a lesson and Pakistan will learn from this,' he said.

Commenting on the upcoming local body elections, Shinde said the government was working as per Supreme Court directions.

'The Supreme Court has ordered elections, and preparations are underway according to their directives. We fought and won the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as a Mahayuti, securing a landslide victory. Similarly, we will contest the upcoming local body elections with the same intensity and emerge victorious,' he said.

He added that Mahayuti's competition had grown, but expressed full confidence in securing another win. 'Now our competition has increased even more, so the upcoming local body elections will be contested by the Mahayuti and the Mahayuti will win,' he said.

The two-day urban development workshop at Yashada in Pune brought together municipal commissioners and chief officers from across Maharashtra. The discussions focused on city-specific challenges and policy decisions, especially regarding the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR).

'There should be a holistic, balanced development of cities. This will be discussed at the conference in today's workshop,' Shinde said.

He emphasised that the goal was to uplift living standards and ensure that 'municipalities should be given justice.' He also addressed the cancellation of the Development Plan (DP) under the PMRD scheme, promising that future decisions would prioritize citizen rights and interests. (ANI)