Never criticised PM Modi personally, says Ashok Chavan

Ashok Chavan. Pic/Atul Kamble

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan, a former Congress leader, said on Tuesday that he never criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi "personally", reported news agency PTI.

Chavan spoke at a BJP rally in the central Maharashtra city for the first time after ending his decades-long association with the Congress last month and joining the saffron party.

He thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present on the dais, for admitting him into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"When I joined the BJP, I was given Rajya Sabha (nomination) within 24 hours. This is the faith the party has shown in me. Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the slogan of 400-plus seats for NDA (in the Lok Sabha elections). Majority of the contribution will be from Maharashtra," Chavan said, reported PTI.

"I did not criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally (when Chavan was with Congress). Because if something is good, we should call it good," the former Maharashtra chief minister said, reported PTI.

Talking about the Maratha reservation issue, Chavan said, "The state government has given 10 percent quota to the community. The issue of (grant of Kunbi certificates to) blood relatives will also be resolved by following the legal procedure," reported PTI.

Speaking on the occasion, BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde said, "Amit Shah should have the least trouble from Maharashtra (in the coming elections) so that he can pay more attention to other states," reported PTI.

Meanwhile Speaking at a rally in the central Maharashtra city, Union Home Minister Amit Shah targeted opposition parties for promoting dynasties, and claimed that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi wanted to make her son Rahul Gandhi prime minister.

"The entire Marathwada region was under the Nizam rule. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel liberated Marathwada from Nizam, and now it is time to liberate Sambhajinagar from the new Nizams," Shah said.

In the 2019 general elections, AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jaleel defeated undivided Shiv Sena's Chandrakant Khaire, supported by the BJP.

"Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son Rahul prime minister of the country. Sharad Pawar wants to make his daughter chief minister of Maharashtra. How can the heads of political parties who are helping only their family members ever do anything to benefit their country or make Bharat safe?" the BJP leader further said.

The people of Maharashtra gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (and its ally Shiv Sena) more than 41 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and 2019, Shah said, adding, "I want more than 45 Lok Sabha seats this time."

Coming down heavily on former ally Uddhav Thackeray, Shah said, "Uddhav Thackeray should be ashamed of joining hands with those who opposed the surgical strike."
Thackeray parted ways with the BJP in 2019 and formed a government in the state with the Congress and undivided NCP.

Targeting Sharad Pawar further, Shah said the NCP leader and his allies should have a debate about their achievements of the last 40 years when they were in power, against the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last ten years.

Any worker of the BJP youth wing was ready to have an open debate with Sharad Pawar, and "our work of ten years will definitely carry the day," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)