Modi doesn't want Rahul in Parl as he is afraid of questions on Adani: P Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was afraid of Rahul Gandhis popularity and the questions he raised on the Adani issue and that was the reason why the PM did not want him in ParliamentGandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on March 24 a day after he was convicted by a court in Gujarats Surat in a criminal defamation caseTerming the Eknath ShindeDevendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra as unholy Chavan said the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA an alliance of the Congress the Nationalist Congress Party NCP and the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena was determined to defeat the Shindeled dispensation in the next Assembly elections scheduled in 2024In an interview to PTI the former Maharashtra chief minister maintained that all was well in the MVA and added that it would fight the future elections as a united forceHe also said there was nothing to speculate on who would lead the opposition alliance as all partners were equalThe Congress has agreed not to raise the issue of late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar as there were divergent views on him among the MVA allies he addedOn the issue of Rahul Gandhis disqualification as an MP Chavan said It is very obvious that PM Modi is afraid of Rahul Gandhis popularity or the questions raised by him over the Adani issue Either way he is afraid and doesnt want Rahul Gandhi in Parliament You get immunity in your speeches in Parliament and it is freely reported in the media We saw the spectacle of the ruling party disrupting Parliament and not letting the opposition have its minimum sayAlso readMumbai 266 Chandivali society flats left to lurch as BMC allegedly lsquofails to informrsquo about water cutModi is scared of the questions raised and popularity of Rahul Gandhi after the Bharat Jodo Yatra The ruling party is scared of questions raised by Rahul Gandhi on Adani and the PM doesnt want to face or answer the questions he saidReplying to a query whether Gandhis disqualification will lead to the opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections Chavan who represents the Karad South Assembly constituency in Maharashtra said opposition parties were coming together as draconian laws were misusedIf it can happen to the leader of the largest opposition party it can happen to every political leader Unless we fight this menace unitedly there will be no democracy and opposition left Hope the unity goes up to 2024 We will work on friendly allocation of seats We will try to have one party from the opposition bloc putting up its candidate against a BJP nominee he addedA dialogue is on at appropriate levels for an opposition unity ahead of 2024 general elections Chavan saidTo a question on whether the MVA unity was just on paper given the buzz about Uddhav Thackeray getting special treatment at the MVAs recent joint rally absence of Congress leaders there and reports of the lack of enthusiasm from the grand old party Chavan said as per the understanding among the three partners each rally will be helmed by one partyProtocolwise Uddhav Thackeray being the former chief minister enjoyed a higher protocol than other people during the Sambhajinagar Aurangabad rally It was decided that two leaders from each party will speak at every rally It was a conscious decision of not having too many leaders on the stage Different leaders will address different rallies in different parts of the state he saidThere is no need for speculation State Congress president Nana Patole did not attend the rally due to some other important commitments Media and BJP can speculate that all is not well in the MVA But I would like to assure everyone in the state that the way politics has shaped up in the last one year we are determined to see the end of this unholy government of Shinde and Fadnavis the Congress MLA addedAll of us who believe in democracy have come together to fight as a united force against the current socalled Shiv SenaFadnavis government Rallies will be conducted as decided All is well in the MVA and we will face the forthcoming elections together he saidThe three allies have decided to hold joint rallies in all the revenue divisions of the state as an attempt to bolster the unity efforts at the grassroot level The first rally was held in Sambhajinagar last SundayTo a query on whether Uddhav Thackeray was the leader of the MVA Chavan said there was nothing to speculate on who would lead the allianceWe are all equal We will go without any predetermined leader What is important is to defeat the current governmentThere is no question why the Congress should feel that it is a junior partner or less important partner of the alliance We are equal partners Congress has mass appeal and it will be seen in the upcoming local bodies polls he maintainedOn being asked if the Savarkar issue has been put to rest by the Congress after it was given on platter to the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP Chavan said his party did not provide any issue on platter to the saffron partyThere are differences of opinion over the role of Savarkar in the freedom struggle Congress is entitled to have its views and so is the BJP Let the people decide about the truth of the freedom struggle There is nothing to be apologetic about We have agreed to disagree and agreed not to raise the issue since our partners hold different views on the issue of Savarkar he saidOn being asked if steps were being taken to fight elections together Chavan said We are seized of the requirement that we should come together A dialogue is on at an appropriate levelExpressing disappointment over the decision of not holding elections to the Congress Working Committee CWC the highest decisionmaking body of the party Chavan said these polls would have strengthened the grand old party and made it more democraticNo party will benefit if it is not run democratically he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for 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