Patole at it again, says being spied on by state govt

Congress leader Nana Patole (right) A video showed Patole saying that security personnel report his movements to CM Thackeray

State Congress president Nana Patole's accusation that the Uddhav Thackeray government has been spying on him through the state security apparatus has created yet another controversy in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The leadership of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party have reportedly expressed their displeasure over the "baseless" allegation.

Patole made a statement last Saturday while addressing party workers in Lonavala. A video clip of the speech shows him saying that security personnel spy on him and report his movements and Congress-related developments to the CM and home minister every morning. He says since the Congress is working hard to expand its base, they (the alliance partners) feel that the ground is slipping from beneath their feet.

Patole has made a series of statements in the past that have upset the NCP and Sena. He has been saying consistently that the Congress has been preparing for contesting the polls independent of the allies.

However, after courting a controversy, Patole said his statement was misconstrued, but added that whatever he had said was about the Centre and he had no complaints against the state government. The explanation did not work on the alliance leaders who have decided to take the matter up with the Congress leadership. Visiting Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and state in-charge general secretary HK Patil were asked about Patole at a media conference on Monday, but they did not react.

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