Union Home Minister and senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde came out in support of expelled Pune MP Suresh Kalmadi stating that he cannot be declared guilty of corruption in the Commonwealth Games until proven so by the courts. “There are many allegations. It does not mean he is guilty,” Mr. Shinde said.
Mr. Shinde was in the city to campaign for the party’s candidate Vishwajeet Kadam. However, when asked why Mr. Kalmadi was denied ticket, he said, “That was a decision of the high command.”
Mr. Kalmadi, who had made his displeasure over being denied the ticket evident, has since declared his support for Mr. Kadam.
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Disagreeing with alliance partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s recent statement that the BJP would emerge the single largest party after the elections, he said: “I don’t think so. Everyone has their own assessment. But Mr. Pawar is a strategy-wallah. I don’t know his intention behind saying so.” “We will form UPA 3 at any cost,” he said.
While ruling himself out of the PM race, Mr. Shinde said: “We have a one-point agenda. We want Rahul Gandhi for PM.”