'Patole makes tall claims, Congress must...': Ramdas Athawale's poetic take on MVA strife

Opining on the growing cracks within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday said that the rift is due to Congress leader Nana Patole's habit of making tall claims about the party. Athawale also advised the state Government to either resolve issues within the party or 'Congress should pull back their support'. This statement from the Union Minister came after Patole remarked that Congress is being targeted by the opposition BJP in the state.

'Nana Patole har vishay par maar rahe badai, aur isiliye Maha Vikas Aghadi mai ho rhi hai ladai ((Nana Patole makes tall claims, this leads to rifts in Maha Vikas Aghadi),' rhymed Ramdas Athawale in Hindi while targeting the Congress party. 

Meanwhile, Athawale also said that issues regarding Maratha reservation, OBC reservation & reservation for the Kshatriya community will be raised in the upcoming all-party meeting scheduled on July 18. 

"I'll raise issues of Maratha reservation, OBC reservation & reservation for Kshatriya community in the all-party meeting (on July 18). I'll also demand an amendment in the law to restore OBC reservation in local bodies, which was revoked by SC," said Ramdas Athawale. 

Maharashtra Congress Chief, Nana Patole made a major claim on Wednesday morning by adding that Congress has its own strategy for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election. This had sparked controversy amongst party leaders who had also met with National Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar to assure him that Patole's statements had allegedly angered leaders in the alliance, and would not be repeated.

Shiv Sena takes swipe at Nana Patole

Congress leader Nana Patole has been repeatedly called out by party leaders including Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut who took to party mouthpiece Saamana to highlight that the Maharashtra Congress president has repeatedly asserted that his party will win a majority on its own in the next Assembly election besides claiming that CM Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar are tracking his moves. In his editorial, Raut taunted that Patole had "sacrificed" the Assembly Speaker's post to revitalize the party. 

Nana Patole hits out at BJP

The statement from Raut came after Patole said that Congress is being targeted by the opposition BJP in the state hinting upon Shiv Sena-BJP realignment buzz. Patole had further alleged that the BJP is twisting and distorting the statements. However, he has also exuded confidence that the Maharashtra Congress will emerge stronger and become the 'number one party' in the state. The MPCC chief also informed that protests are going on in Maharashtra against rising prices and inflation. He claimed that many people have a problem with Congress' progress in Maharashtra.

(Inputs from ANI)