Sena-BJP blasts Congress' Adarsh man, but won't abandon its own

After trying to pin BJP down over the return to the fold of controversial Karnataka politician B S Yeddyurappa, the Congress exposed its hypocrisy by nominating Adarsh scam-tainted Ashok Chavan as its candidate for the Lok Sabha poll from Nanded.

(From right) Siddharth Gamre, with Arvind Sawant and Aaditya Thackeray

Now, the shoe is on the other foot - while BJP-Shiv Sena is raising a hue and cry about Chavan, it appears unconcerned regarding the noticeable presence of Siddharth Gamre in its election campaigning.

Chavan and Gamre have something in common - the former's relatives have flats in Adarsh, whereas the latter himself is the owner of an apartment in the building.

Vinod Tawde, the leader of opposition in state council and senior BJP functionary, had first expressed his views and dissatisfaction with Chavan's candidature. A statement from him read, "By declaring Chavan's name from Nanded, Congress has proved that Congress ka haath bhrastachariyo ke saath."

On Tuesday, at the time when the Congress announced Chavan's nomination, Sena-BJP's candidate from Mumbai South, Arvind Sawant, was campaigning in Parel with Gamre, the BJP's chief of the constituency.

Gamre was spotted with top leaders of both the Sena and the BJP, including Sena's youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray, and Madhu Chavan, spokesperson of the BJP.

The occasion was the inauguration of Sawant's main election office in Parel. When Gamre came in, there were whispers among Sena men about whether to ask him to stay behind. But, finally, nothing happened, and in the end Gamre was in the front row of the dais, sharing the stage with key leaders.

When questioned about the alliance's double standards, Niranjan Shetty, spokesperson for BJP Mumbai, said, "Gamre has not been proven guilty in any case. If that happens, we will decide what action has to be taken."