Cong accepts Maha CM's development debate challenge: Patole

The Congress will hold rallies across Maharashtra to counter the 'Mahajanadesh Yatra' of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, its state campaign chief Nana Patole said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference here, Patole said his party was accepting Fadnavis' challenge on a debate on development works in the state during the tenures of the Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena government.

Patole said Fadnavis, during the launch of the BJP yatra from Amravati, had claimed he had achieved double of what the previous Congress-NCP government had managed, and had challenged the opposition to a debate.

"The CM has said that if proven false, he would stop his yatra. We accept the challenge and ask Fadnavis to set up a time and date for the debate," Patole, a former BJP MP who crossed over to the Congress over a year ago, said.

"We will wait for the CM's response. If he doesn't tell us the time and date, we will start 'pardafash' (expose) rallies at the same places where Fadnavis is moving as part of his yatra," he said.

Patole further claimed that Fadnavis would not have needed a poll yatra if his government had worked to develop irrigation, agriculture, urban areas, worked for drought management and eradication of unemployment, and welfare of tribals, backward classes and minorities.