Jalna, Jul 29 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Tuesday hit out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that as against its claim of making the country “Congress-mukt”, the BJP itself it becoming “Congress-yukt” by luring away leaders of his party.
Addressing a press conference here, he accused the BJP of using tactics of fear and greed to force the Congress leaders to switch sides.
Sapkal’s remarks came in the wake of former Jalna MLA Kailash Gorantyal on Sunday hinting at quitting the Congress and joining the BJP. Gorantyal on Tuesday tendered his resignation as the vice-president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
“It is shameful that the BJP is resorting to tactics of intimidation and allurements to break the Congress. This only proves that the BJP is facing a leadership crisis,” Sapkal said.
“What we are witnessing is not a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ as the BJP claims, but rather a ‘Congress-yukt BJP’,” he added.
Referring to Gorantyal, who contested five times on a Congress ticket from the Jalna assembly constituency and won three times, Sapkal said, “Those who are leaving the Congress have taken full benefit of the party. Now, it seems we made a mistake of fielding them.” In the 2024 assembly elections, Gorantyal was defeated from the Jalna seat by Shiv Sena’s Arjun Khotkar. He later accused the Congress leaders of not supporting him during the election campaign.
Sapkal said those who leave the Congress make baseless allegations.
The state Congress chief also dismissed speculation that veteran party leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was planning to join the BJP.
“There is no truth in such reports. These are rumours. The party has entrusted Chavan with important responsibilities,” he said.
The MPCC chief also levelled serious allegations against the BJP-led government, accusing it of misusing public funds to weaken the Congress.
“The BJP is involved in a Rs 2,000 crore scam related to the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway. There are also allegations of a Rs 3,000 crore scam in the Thane-Borivali twin tunnel project and this money is being used for political purposes,” Sapkal claimed.
He accused the government of failing to provide any relief to farmers.
Farmers are reeling under the burden of falling soybean prices. The number of farmer suicides is rising as a result of unfulfilled loan waiver promise, he said.
Criticising the state government over the passage of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, he said it was a threat to democratic values.
“People are afraid to speak out against the BJP,” he alleged.
He also hit out at the state government, saying, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has not sought the resignation of Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate even as he was caught playing rummy in the legislative assembly (on his phone). The Mahayuti government is shameless and the chief minister is helpless…” Earlier in the day, Sapkal held meetings with Congress office-bearers from Jalna, Beed, and Parbhani districts. PTI COR NP
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