Mumbai: Congress Party is slowly and steadily moving ahead in the terms of state assembly planning point of view. After forming teams for the negotiation with the alliance parties, Now, Congress has given responsibility of drafting Congress party manifesto to senior leader and former chief minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan.
State Congress President Nana Patole made this announcement on wednesday. "Our core committee meeting was held and we discussed the structure of the congress manifesto. How it should be, points like farmers issue, unemployment, youth development and inflation will be included in the manifesto. We also discussed the seat sharing issue."
He further said "Our senior leader Prithviraj Chavan has been given responsibility to draft the congress manifesto. He will speak to economists, businessmen,experts of various sectors and officers of various organisations and will make a comprehensive manifesto which the people of Maharashtra expect."
Patole highlighted that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s comments suggesting the public forgets past grievances were misplaced. Patole emphasized that the Mahayuti government's alleged betrayal, including selling Maharashtra to Gujarat, will not be forgotten by the state's proud populace, who will hold the coalition accountable in the upcoming state assembly elections.
At a meeting of key Congress leaders at Gandhi Bhavan, Patole was joined by senior figures including Balasaheb Thorat, Leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Opposition Leader Vijay Wadettiwar, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, former ministers Nasim Khan and Dr. Nitin Raut, state organizational and administrative head Nana Gavande, and chief spokesperson Atul Londhe.
Patole addressed the media after the meeting, stating that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition does not operate on a hierarchy but rather on merit-based seat allocation. He assured that the MVA is prepared for the upcoming elections and that decisions regarding the Chief Minister position will be made post-election. He noted that NCP President Sharad Pawar shares this stance.
Regarding Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray’s visit to Delhi, Patole remarked that this is not Thackeray’s first visit to the capital. He clarified that Thackeray’s meetings with Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, should not be misinterpreted.
Patole underscored that Sonia Gandhi is a prominent figure in Indian politics, having led two Congress-led UPA governments. He mentioned that discussions between Thackeray, Pawar, and others on seat allocation will take place in due course.
On the issue of law and order, Patole condemned the BJP-led state government for failing to maintain security. He criticized the government for allegedly supporting criminal activities and allowing incidents like shootings by legislators and threats to traders.
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Patole highlighted the troubling fact that 15,000 girls and women are missing and stated that the safety of women is compromised. He criticized the state’s law enforcement for its lack of effectiveness, pointing to the provision of luxurious amenities to prisoners in Taloja Jail as evidence of the government's support for criminals.