The election for the posts of President and Vice President of the Gondia zilla parishad on Tuesday surfaced a rift between the ruling partners Congress and NCP and also led to ward of words. The state Congress chief Nana Patole launched a scathing attack on the NCP for joining hands with rival BJP to elect the president of the Gondia Zilla Parishad and terming it ‘’backstabber.’’
"NCP has stabbed us in the back. If NCP wants enmity, do it from the front, we are ready for it. Maharashtra govt is formed by 3 parties comprising Shiv Sena, NCP & Congress under Common Minimum Program," he noted.
In Gondia, the NCP joined hands with rival BJP to elect the president of the Gondia Zilla Parishad keeping the Congress away from power with the backing of Independents and a local outfit.
BJP’s Pankaj Rahangdale was elected as the president and NCP’s Yashwant Gunvir as the vice-president.
Patole said the Congress high command will be apprised about the "machinations" of the NCP over the last two-and-a-half years in the forthcoming Udaipur conclave. He added friendship should be done with all honesty and that "an enemy attacking openly from the front is better".
Patole said that despite being in an alliance, the NCP encroached on Congress in Malegaon, Bhiwandi and several other places. ‘’Yesterday, the NCP joined hands with the BJP in the Gondia zilla parishad to elect the president,’’ he added.
He recalled that MVA partners Jayant Patil (NCP), Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) and himself had decided that efforts should be made to ensure that maximum zilla parishads stay with the MVA.
In Bhandara, five rebel members of the BJP led by former MLA Charan Waghmare joined hands with the Congress to elect the party candidate as the president of the ZP. A BJP member was elected as the vice president of the zilla parishad in Bhandara.
However, state NCP chief and water resources minister Jayant Patil said that it would be appropriate to speak only after seeing the circumstances under which the decision to join hands with the saffron party was taken. He added that there might be differences between local leaders and the party will take note of this. He clarified that the NCP had no intention to disturb the MVA.
‘’There are many local body elections coming up and that the local leadership is expected to work together to bring the MVA to power,’’ said Patil.
‘’The party will take note if something different has happened in Gondia as alleged by Nana Patole. But there is also a need to think about who gets along well or shares different opinions at the local level. We will take information on that,” said Patil.
