Mumbai: The Congress’ state in-charge Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday hit out at former chief minister Ashok Chavan for quitting the party to join the BJP. “He (Chavan) was the leader and face of the Congress. He was supposed to fight, but he left the battlefield,” Chennithala said at a press conference after meeting Congress leaders in Mumbai.
Chennithala said the party twice gave Chavan a chance to helm the state government, also the state unit, and made him a member of the Congress Working Committee, yet Chavan chose to quit the party. He said Chavan was part of Congress meetings till 2pm on Sunday. Before that, he had also met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders in Delhi.
What Injustice Has Been Done To Him? Asks Chennithala
“What has the party not given him? Two-time chief minister... two months back I I included him in the Congress Working Committee. All his suggestions were included and implemented. He was present during the Sunday meeting with us and he could have told me if he had any difficulty in party functioning.
“Why did he leave the Congress party? He has no answer. People will not accept it. We work on principles. Did he have pressure from the Enforcement Directorate, CBI? What injustice has been done to him,” Chennitahala said.
Nana Patole Urges Chavan To Reconsider His Decision:
State Congress president Nana Patole urged Chavan to reconsider his decision. With fear of cross-voting in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, Chennithala said if the MLAs cross-vote, they will be expelled from the party for six years.
“We have the numbers. When NCP and Congress join, the numbers will swell. With [NCP’s] Sharad Pawar and (Shiv Sena UBT’s) Uddhav Thackeray, we will together fight the Rajya Sabha polls,” Chennithala said.
