Mumbai, Jul 30 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether US President Donald Trump’s India-Pakistan ceasefire claims were false or not.
Addressing a press conference here, he said if Trump is wrong, the PM should counter his claims.
His statements come a day after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi of using the armed forces to protect his image after the Pahalgam attack and dared him to rebut Trump’s India-Pakistan ceasefire claims.
Chavan said, “PM Modi has failed to give a direct answer to questions posed by Rahul Gandhi…PM Modi must clarify whether Trump’s repeated claims about a ceasefire are false. If Trump is wrong, why isn’t Modi contradicting him?” The Congress leader also demanded a clarification from the Centre on whether the historic Simla Agreement has been nullified, and also on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent statements in Parliament about Operation Sindoor.
The former chief minister accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of deliberately avoiding action against PM Modi in a 2020 model code of conduct violation case, and said the party will move the court.
Addressing a press conference, Chavan questioned why the PM was not held accountable despite the ECI admitting a violation of the code.
“No one is above the law. If former PM Indira Gandhi and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray could face strict action for similar breaches, why is Narendra Modi being spared?” the former Maharashtra minister asked.
The incident dates back to December 28, 2020, when PM Modi, along with the then Railway and Agriculture Ministers, flagged off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola (Maharashtra) to Shalimar (West Bengal).
At that time, gram panchayat elections were underway in Maharashtra and the West Bengal assembly polls were approaching. The event was telecast across the country without the required permissions from the ECI or district authorities.
The complaint, filed by Congress worker Prafull Kadam, was initially stalled by the ECI but later acknowledged as a breach of the code. However, the only action taken was a warning to the railway administration.
“This is a blatant disregard of the law. The ECI admitted the violation but refused to act against Modi,” Chavan said.
Kadam, in his complaint, had provided detailed legal reasoning and claimed that the broadcast was a clear attempt to influence voters. He has demanded that Modi’s Lok Sabha membership be cancelled.
Responding to Rajya Sabha member Ujjwal Nikam’s recent remarks on 26/11 terror attack perpetrator Ajmal Kasab, Chavan said the terrorist was sentenced and hanged under the Congress rule through proper judicial process.
“Nikam’s comments are meaningless. BJP rewarded him with a Rajya Sabha seat, and now he’s making irrelevant statements,” Chavan remarked.
Nikam recently said, “Even Pakistan did not claim that there was a mistrial for Ajmal Kasab. Pakistan never said that Kasab was not given a chance (to prove his innocence).” Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, who was also present at the press conference, criticized the BJP-led state government over the controversial state ministers.
“Ministers are playing cards inside the assembly and engaging in WWE-style politics outside. Some even have family members running dance bars. We have consistently demanded their resignations inside and outside the legislature,” he said.
On NCP leader and former minister Dhananjay Munde’s resignation, he said, “It wasn’t due to moral pressure, but because of mounting public outrage and opposition.” Munde resigned in March this year after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as an accused in the murder case of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district in December last year.
On the controversy surrounding MP Praniti Shinde’s alleged remarks on Operation Sindoor, Sapkal said her statement was misinterpreted.
“She never disrespected the armed forces. Her criticism was directed at BJP’s use of military imagery for political gain, including hoardings of Modi in uniform,” he said.
Shinde, a first-term MP from Solapur, on Monday accused the government of turning national security into a spectacle to distract the public before elections. PTI MR NP
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