Speaking to reporters after a campaign meeting ahead of the January 15 local body elections, Harshwardhan Sapkal referred to recent political developments in Ambernath, where Congress councillors joined hands with the BJP after the municipal polls
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday accused the BJP of hypocrisy. File Pic
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday accused the BJP of hypocrisy, saying that in its bid to create a “Congress-free India”, the ruling party has itself become filled with leaders poached from the Congress, reported the PTI.
Speaking to reporters after a campaign meeting ahead of the January 15 Maharashtra local body elections, Sapkal referred to recent political developments in Ambernath, where Congress councillors joined hands with the BJP after the municipal polls.
Sapkal said that the Congress had suspended its councillors for aligning with the BJP without consulting the party leadership. However, instead of condemning the move, the BJP welcomed the suspended councillors into its own fold.
“In its attempt to make India Congress-mukt, the BJP has turned Congress-yukt,” Sapkal said, adding that the party’s double standards had been exposed by events in Ambernath and Akot, according to the PTI.
BJP embraced the defectors
Sapkal alleged that the BJP was willing to compromise on its stated principles purely for the sake of power.
“The Congress took strict action, while the BJP embraced the defectors. This highlights the gap between what the BJP says and what it actually does,” he said.
Sapkal also criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he failed to act decisively and merely issued a statement calling such alliances unacceptable.
“For the sake of power, the BJP is even comfortable joining hands with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. This reflects the party’s moral decline,” Sapkal alleged, as per the PTI.
Controversial remark on late Congress leader and former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh
The Congress leader further criticised state BJP president Ravindra Chavan for his controversial remark suggesting that the memory of late Congress leader and former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh would be erased from Latur. Sapkal said the comment reflected arrogance born out of power, adding that leaders like Deshmukh had made significant contributions to Maharashtra’s development, the news agency reported.
Chavan has since apologised for his remarks.
Sapkal also alleged that Fadnavis had made insulting comments about former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who has since joined the BJP, at a public meeting in Nanded, where Sapkal was present.
Unopposed elections serious threat to democracy
He further claimed that several ruling party candidates were being elected unopposed across Maharashtra not due to popularity, but because of pressure, intimidation and the use of money power.
According to Sapkal, the police, administration and even the election machinery appeared to be supporting the ruling party in such cases. He warned that the growing trend of unopposed elections posed a serious threat to democracy and the Constitution, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
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