Demands to sack Chavan, Prakash grow in Congress

Mumbai: Demands for removal of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Ashok Chavan and MPCC in-charge Mohan Prakash within the Congress party are getting louder by the day. Recently, a group of party leaders from Vidarbha met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to put forth the demand.

There is a growing feeling among Congress leaders from Vidarbha that Chavan is not giving them enough support to lead the party in the region. Former Member of Parliament Vilas Muttemwar, former minister Satish Chaturvedi, and others recently met Gandhi to discuss these issues. Apparently, a senior leader told Gandhi, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is growing like anything in Vidarbha. If we don’t get aggressive, there will be a complete washout in the next elections.” However, sources also confirmed that Gandhi did not give any assurance.

Earlier, senior leader Gurudas Kamat expressed reservations about Prakash’s style of functioning. A few party heavyweights from western Maharashtra too called on senior All India Congress Committee (AICC) functionaries in Delhi to articulate their demand for Chavan’s removal.

 A former minister said, “No party worker is happy with Prakash’s attitude, and Chavan has built a coterie around himself. Their inaction is hurting the party even more than BJP’s aggression.”

These rumblings are significant as the Congress is said to be going for major organisational changes in the next couple of months. There will be changes in the MPCC too. The demands playing out currently are part of the behind-the-curtain politics within the party. Chavan was appointed MPCC chief after the party’s debacle in the 2014 assembly elections. It was expected that he would strengthen the party but that did not happen.