Maharashtra politics: Hours after Ashok Chavan resigned from the primary membership of the Congress, party leader Sanjay Nirupam blamed the top leadership, stating that this situation would not have happened if his complaints had been taken seriously.
Calling the former Maharashtra CM an asset for the party, Nirupam claimed that Chavn was very upset with the working style of a leader from Maharashtra as a matter of principle.
"Ashok Chavan was certainly an asset for the party. Some are calling him a liability, some are holding ED responsible; all of this is a hasty reaction. He was very upset with the working style of a leader from Maharashtra as a matter of principle. He had informed the top leadership about this from time to time. If his complaints had been taken seriously, this situation would not have arisen," he said in an X post.
'Big loss for Congress'
The Congress leader also expressed regret over Chavan's departure from the party, stating that it is a significant loss that cannot be compensated for. He emphasized that it was solely the party's responsibility to address his concerns and retain him within the party. "Ashok Chavan is a capable, skilled organizer, has grassroots support, and is a serious leader. When the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was in Nanded last year for five days, all the leadership saw his capability firsthand. His leaving the Congress is a big loss for us. No one will be able to compensate for it. The responsibility of handling him was solely and solely ours," he added.
Ashok Chavan resigns
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister resigned from the party on Monday. In a letter to state Congress president Nana Patole, Chavan said he was quitting the 'Grand Old Party'. He also submitted his resignation as an MLA to Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. Chavan's exit from Congress comes days after the departure of senior Maharashtra Congress leaders Baba Siddique and Milind Deora.
Chavan was recently included in the Congress Working Committee (CWC). He is the son of the former Home Minister Shankarrao Chavan. Chavan represented the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency in 1987 and 2014 but lost the election in 2019 when he was defeated by BJP's Prataprao Patil Chikhalikar. Chavan won the Mudkhed Assembly constituency in 1999 and 2004 and later Bhokar in 2009 and 2019.
According to sources, more than half a dozen Congress MLAs can also leave the Congress party after the resignation of Ashok Chavan. Many former MLAs and leaders supporting Chavan are also likely to join the BJP.
Chavan had succeeded Vilasrao Deshmukh as Maharashtra Chief Minister in December 2008 and was forced to resign in November 2010 in the wake of the Adarsh housing scam. He was president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) from 2014 to 2019.
Also Read: Haven't taken any decision yet on joining BJP, says Ashok Chavan after quitting Congress
Also Read: Ashok Chavan, former Maharashtra CM, resigns from Congress, likely to join BJP soon
