Raigad: The Congress on Wednesday demanded that a police case be registered to probe reports that a Shiv Sena MLA sent a substitute to take part in the party’s farmer outreach programme in Marathwada.
Last week, a Marathi news channel had claimed that Gautam Chabukswar, the Sena MLA from Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, skipped the party’s Shiv Sampark Abhiyan as he was travelling in north India. He sent Yashodhar Phanse, a former corporator, to Osmanabad district (assigned to him by the party for the campaign) as his substitute. Mr. Phanse was introduced as the MLA during the tour. Both have denied the allegations.
Speaking to reporters during the launch of the fourth phase of the Opposition’s ‘Sangharsh Yatra’, covering Konkan region, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the police should suo motu take note of the matter and file a cheating case against the Sena for sending a ‘dummy’ MLA.
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He said, “You (Sena) too are the part of the government. If you think there are dacoits in the government, why don’t you quit? Unless the Shiv Sena doesn’t pull out its ministers from the government on the issue of farm loan waiver, people will not trust the party.”
The Congress leader also asked the BJP-led government to clarify its stand on the alleged comments by State BJP chief Raosaheb Danve against farmers. Reacting to the State government calling a three-day special session of the Legislative Assembly from May 20 to pass the GST bill, he added, “We had requested the Governor for a special session to discuss the farm crisis and that the government announce a farm loan waiver. Even the Shiv Sena has a similar demand but there is no response yet.”