Maharashtra opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar dismisses rumours of "switching sides"

The Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra state assembly and a senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday firmly denied rumours suggesting a possible switch in allegiance Wadettiwar clarified that he has no intentions of leaving the CongressAddressing the speculation Wadettiwar highlighted his longstanding association with Ashok Chavan since 2006 and his tenure as a minister in Chavans cabinet on two occasions However he admitted to not being privy to any discussions regarding recent developments within the partyWadettiwar expressed concerns over the alleged tactics employed by the BJP in destabilizing opposition parties He emphasized that such actions have not been wellreceived by the public and predicted that voters will respond resolutely during the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha electionsldquoI have been working with Ashok Chavan from 2006 and was twice a minister in his cabinet He did not discuss anything with me We do not know the reason But the manner in which BJP is breaking parties people have not liked this and they will give befitting reply in this electionrdquo he said according to newswire PTIEarlier in a major setback to Congress ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan resigned from the grand old party amid speculation that he may join the BJPChavans exit from Congress came days after senior Maharashtra Congress leaders Baba Siddique and Milind Deora quit the partyThere was no confirmation either from Chavan or the BJP of reports that the 65yearold leader will be fielded for the upcoming Rajya Sabha electionsAmid the buzz that Chavan will join the BJP Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters Aagey aagey dekho hota hai kya wait and watch what happensChavan said the decision to quit the Congress was a personal one adding he will announce his next course of action in a day or two ldquoI have not yet made any decision to join BJPrdquo he addedIn a letter to state Congress president Nana Patole Chavan said he was resigning as a primary member of the party He also submitted his resignation as an MLA to assembly Speaker Rahul NarwekarSpeaking to reporters Chavan said I am not going to discuss anything happening in the Congress party on a public forumAsked if he would join the BJP Chavan said I havent taken any decision yet on joining the BJP and dont know BJPs working systemHe also said his decision to quit the Congress is a personal one and he does not want to ascribe any reason to itChavan also refuted claims that the white paper tabled in Parliament prompted him to resign from CongressThe white paper has mentioned the Adarsh Building scam pertaining to a housing society in Mumbai due to which Chavan had to step down as the chief minister of Maharashtra in 2010There were reports since the last few months that Chavan would be quitting Congress so the news of his resignation did not come as a total surprise to the state party leadersldquoVoters will teach those who deserted them a lessonrdquo said former CM Prithviraj Chavan The senior Congress leader also said he was unaware of the compulsion due to which Ashok Chavan left CongressThis is an unfortunate decision Never thought a person like him would take such a step Prithviraj Chavan told reportersChavans exit from Congress comes days after senior Maharashtra Congress leaders Baba Siddique and Milind Deora quit the partyChavan hails from Nanded district in Marathwada region His father late Shankarrao Chavan was also the chief minister of MaharashtraMaharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole rushed to Delhi after Ashok Chavans announcement of resigning from the CongressCongress leader Jairam Ramesh without naming Ashok Chavan said that an exit by betrayers opens up vast new opportunities to those whose growth they have always stuntedWhen friends and colleagues leave a political party that has given them much perhaps much more than they deserved it is always a matter of anguish he said in a post on XBut to those who are vulnerable THAT Washing Machine will always prove more attractive than ideological commitment or personal loyalties he addedThese betrayers dont realise that their exit opens up vast new opportunities to those whose growth they have always stunted Ramesh saidAsked about Chavan leaving the party Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said it is difficult these days to do politics while staying in the oppositionRubbishing speculation that he too will switch sides Leader of Opposition in state assembly Vijay Wadettiwar of Congress said he has no plans to quit the CongressI have been working with Ashok Chavan from 2006 and was twice a minister in his cabinet He did not discuss anything with me We do not know the reason But the manner in which BJP is breaking parties people have not liked this and they will give befitting reply in this election he saidVanchit Bahujan Aghadi president Prakash Ambedkar said the BJP will pay a heavy price for practicing the politics of todphod breaking partiesWe have never seen such politics in the last seven decades Now we see uncertainty and unprecedented politics in the state The Marathi manoos does not endorse such politics he saidShiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut expressed shock over Ashok Chavans exit from the CongressIt is hard to believe that Ashok Chavan has joined the BJP He was with us till yesterday and was holding discussions Like Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will Chavan also stake claim on the Congress now and get the party symbol In our country anything can happen Raut saidMaharashtra Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe said It is the Adarsh turn for the party with difference The people will give a befitting reply to the BJP is upcoming electionsrdquo