Rahul Gandhi on quitting ‘senior leaders’

Mumbai:

Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi concluded the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra in Mumbai today with a few digs at enemies and former friends. While the heavy guns are reserved for the BJP, one senior leader, believed to be Ashok Chavan, who recently switched to the BJP, has received some special attention.

Gandhi did not reveal the name of the former Maharashtra chief minister and MP, but suggested that he crossed the border to evade the central probe agency.

“We are fighting a power. The question now is, what is this power. The soul of the king lies in the EVM, ED (Enforcement Directorate), CBI, Income Tax,” Mr Gandhi said while addressing a large crowd in Mumbai.

“I don’t want to name names, but one of the senior leaders of the state left the Congress. He cried and told my mother, ‘Sonia ji, I am ashamed to say that I have no power to fight this issue. People, this force. I Don’t want to go to jail,'” he added.

The Congress party again leveled “washing machine” charges against the BJP after Mr Chavan defected last month, shortly after another key leader Milind Deora.

State Congress president Nana Patole was deeply at odds with him, saying the reason was the reference to the Adarsh ​​scam in a white paper tabled by the Congress.

Mr Chavan has three cases pending against him, two of them related to the Adarsh ​​Cooperative Housing Society.

Mr Chavan was the state’s revenue minister in 2000 when land in Colaba was allegedly illegally allotted to the Adarsh ​​Cooperative Housing Society.

The veteran leader cited various differences with the Congress as the reason for his resignation from the party.