Congress slams Milind Deora over Asha Bhosle funeral remark, accuses him of 'ingratitude'

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora over his remarks regarding party representation at the funeral of legendary singer Asha Bhosle reported PTIThe controversy erupted after Deora a former Congress leader and Union minister suggested in a social media post that one political party had failed to send senior representatives to the funeral indirectly targeting his former partyDeorarsquos post triggers political rowIn his post Deora described the funeral as a gathering marked by ldquolove song and gratituderdquo attended by leaders from across political parties However he noted that ldquoone exception stood outrdquo which he said reflected a disconnect from the countryrsquos cultural ethosThough he did not explicitly name the Congress the remarks were widely interpreted as criticism of the party prompting a swift and strong responseCongress counters claim lists leaders who attendedRejecting Deorarsquos allegation the Congress asserted that several of its senior leaders were present to pay their respects The party named leaders including Sushilkumar Shinde Naseem Khan and Lok Sabha MP Praniti Shinde among others who attended the funeral reported PTIThe party said their presence reflected both cultural respect and longstanding values countering Deorarsquos claim of absence reported PTISharp criticism over lsquoingratitudersquo and political shiftIn a strongly worded statement the Congress accused Deora of ldquoingratituderdquo and ldquopolitical opportunismrdquo pointing to his long association with the party before joining the faction led by Eknath Shinde reported PTIThe party alleged that Deora was attempting to discredit his former political base in a bid to demonstrate loyalty to his current leadership It further claimed that the Congress had played a key role in shaping the political career and identity of the Deora family reported PTIWar of words escalates on social mediaThe exchange quickly escalated on social media with the Congress using unusually sharp language to criticise Deorarsquos remarks It accused him of spreading misinformation and questioned his motives behind targeting the partyThe statement also suggested that his comments were an attempt to gain political favour within his current party setup rather than a reflection of factsPolitical tensions intensify in MaharashtraThe episode highlights growing tensions between the Congress and leaders who have switched sides in recent years particularly in Maharashtrarsquos evolving political landscapeWith inputs from PTI