BJP importing candidates from other parties: Ashok Chavan

Pitted against his former colleague Pratap Patil Chikhlikar, who is contesting on BJP ticket from Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan Saturday attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the ruling party, saying voters won't tolerate "liars".

Patil Chikhlikar, a former Youth Congress leader from Nanded in Marathwada region of the state, is taking on Chavan on the latter's home turf, which has always remained the citadel of the Congress party.

"Those who have to import candidates from other parties should not give advise to the people of Nanded. Tell us what happened to the promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of the people, the increased MSP (Minimum Support Price), and giving two crore jobs. People of Nanded do not tolerate liars," Chavan, who heads the Congress in Maharashtra, said in a statement.

He said the BJP had to "import" candidate from other parties, as the ruling party has failed to find a strong candidate from its fold.

"The Chief Minister does not have a moral right to give advice to the people of Nanded. They know who has worked from them," said Chavan who was one of the two leaders of the Congress who withstood the Narendra Modi wave in 2014 elections in Maharashtra.

He said the people from Nanded had defeated the "imported" candidates in the municipal corporation elections held earlier.

"That history will repeat in the Lok Sabha elections as well," the former chief minister said.

He said the BJP was shying away from talking about burning issues, and is instead politicising armed forces to derive a political mileage.

"Around 15,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last five years in Maharashtra. The state is facing worst kind of drought," he said, adding that the BJP's flagship "Jalyukt Shivar" scheme, which was aimed at increasing the irrigation potential in the state, has come as a cropper.

He accused the government of failing to effectively implement drought mitigation measures, saying the people from rural areas are forced to migrate in the search of jobs.

Chavan reiterated his allegations regarding the farmer loan waiver scheme and the government's promise to ensure that farmers are paid MSP 1.5 times the production cost.

Nanded constituency comprises Bhokar, Nanded North, Nanded South, Naigaon, Deglur and Mukhed assembly segments.