LS polls: Tawde ridicules Congress over defections

Maharashtra BJP leader and Education Minister Vinod Tawde Tuesday took potshots at the Congress in view of rumblings in the Opposition party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Tawde's dig came against the backdrop of sudden ouster of Mumbai unit Congress president Sanjay Nirupam on Monday and recent exit of some party leaders in rest of the state in favour of the ruling BJP.

"The Mumbai president of Congress had to give up his position to secure a ticket for Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, (Maharashtra Congress president) Ashok Chavan was trying to field his wife for Lok Sabha, but the party forced him to contest," Tawde said, a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi replaced Nirupam with former MP Milind Deora.

Nirupam has been given the ticket to contest from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency.

Taking a dig at Congress, Tawde said, "these developments show the sacrifice bing made by leaders for their party. It will be better if Congress starts finalising nominees for 2024 elections henceforth, so that the party would have enough numbers to contest unlike now".

He said the common man understood the current situation in the Congress very well.

Tawde also criticised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's minimum income plan promise for the poor.

"Rahul is trying to do what his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) failed to achieve. Congress is ridiculing the poor. What did they do when they were in power?" he questionned.

The Congress' campaign in Maharashtra seems to be in disarray due to defection of some leaders to the BJP.

Some of them are Sujay Vikhe Patil, son of senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, former Union minister from Sangli Prateek Patil, and Satara district Congress president Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar.

The BJP has fielded Sujay and Naik Nimbalkar from Ahmednagar and Madha seats, respectively.