“Political stunt”: former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan on Rahul Gandhi remark

Nanded (Maharashtra) [India], March 18 (ANI) : After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that a senior Congress leader broke down before Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan who quit the Congress to join the BJP last month, rejected the claim stating these remarks are factually incorrect.

“He (Rahul Gandhi) has not taken any name, however, if he wants to make any remarks on me, it is illogical and baseless… It is also a lie that I have met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. These remarks are factually incorrect. All of this is a political stunt.” BJP leader Ashok Chavan said.

Earlier, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that a senior Congress leader, who recently quit the party visited his mother Sonia Gandhi and broke down saying he did not want to go to jail.

“A senior leader in Maharashtra, who left the Congress recently, went crying to my mother saying, ‘Sonia-ji, I am ashamed that I don’t have the power to fight this Shakti. I do not want to go to jail’. Thousands of people are being similarly threatened,” the Congress MP claimed.

Earlier, at a show of strength along with partners in the INDIA bloc, marking the culmination of his 63-day ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, in Mumbai, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday came down heavily on the Centre saying that the Opposition was fighting the might of the state.

Taking a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul, endorsing the remark of an INDIA leader who spoke before him, said, “It is true that the soul of EVMs have been traded to the King (PM Modi).”

“There is a word ‘Shakti’ (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us? The soul and integrity of EVMs have been traded to the King (Modi). This is a fact. Not just EVMs but every autonomous institution of the country, be it the ED, CBI or Income Tax department, have traded their spines to the Centre,” Rahul said.

Later, speaking at the rally, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Rahul’s refrain, saying that the ‘Shakti’ that the Opposition is fighting against comes from the ‘RSS’ (BJP’s ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and ‘Manuvaad’ (Brahmanism or Brahmanical clout).

“Carrying forward what Rahul-ji said, I can say without any hesitation that the ‘Shakti’ that Modi-ji wields comes from the RSS and Manuvaad. They want to crush us (Opposition) using this Shakti,” Kharge said.