‘We learnt a lot from Haryana… That is why the withdrawal of 80% of rebels… there is total unity, be it leaders, workers, allies’: Congress Maharashtra in-charge

The Lok Sabha verdict gave the Congress immoderate anticipation and reasons to cheer. But aft the Haryana upset and the mediocre show successful Jammu, however is Maharashtra looking for the Congress and the alliance?

The situations successful Haryana and Maharashtra are different. In the parliamentary elections, we (MVA) won 31 of the 48 seats successful Maharashtra. The Congress emerged arsenic the fig 1 party. Issues are different, strategies are different, and the mode radical deliberation is different. At the aforesaid time, we learnt a batch of lessons from Haryana. That I agree. That is wherefore we systematically worked to guarantee the withdrawal of 80% of the rebels. We ensured full unity successful the party. There are nary differences of sentiment among the elder leaders and workers. There is implicit unity among the MVA partners.

Seat sharing and everything was done amicably. All of america are moving successful tandem. A harmonious concern is prevailing successful the MVA. Even tiny parties similar CPM, CPI, PWP (Peasants and Workers Party) and SP person been accommodated decently successful the fixed situation. So determination is nary occupation successful the Congress oregon the alliance, dissimilar successful Haryana.

But determination are inactive immoderate affable fights.

We are not going to let immoderate affable combat successful the MVA. We person suspended each the rebels who person not withdrawn from the race. We are not going to let a Sangli experimentation again.

One large crushed for the occurrence of the Congress and the MVA successful the Lok Sabha elections was the consolidation of Dalit votes successful your favour. The Opposition’s ‘save the Constitution’ communicative possibly had immoderate traction. Will specified an contented person relevance successful authorities elections?

That information is determination adjacent now. The BJP wants to alteration the Basic Structure of the Constitution. Look astatine the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal. For that, the authorities elections are precise important. Unless and until the BJP gets a bulk successful the Rajya Sabha, they cannot walk specified contentious proposals. So, if much MLAs are with the BJP, they tin elite much Rajya Sabha MPs and they tin alteration the Constitution by securing a bulk successful the Rajya Sabha. The radical are alert of each this. And, Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Samvidhan Sammelans’ person fixed the close absorption to each sections of the people, peculiarly Dalits and the backwards (OBCs).

But, are specified issues applicable successful a authorities election?

There is immoderate relevance. There are besides truthful galore authorities issues. Agrarian unrest, unemployment, terms rise, and backwardness of definite regions arsenic good arsenic terrible harm to onion, soybean, and fabric farmers caused by the Cemtre’s import-export policy. The different large contented is Gujarat taking distant each the large projects and investments from Maharashtra.

Why didn’t the Congress oregon the MVA state with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA? Won’t his enactment airs problems for the alliance?

Prakash Ambedkar is simply a B Team of the BJP. In the Lok Sabha elections, we tried (to person an knowing with him). I spoke to him respective times. But helium did not broadside with us. He is ever helping the BJP and the radical cognize that. That is wherefore helium could not get immoderate seats. The beingness of Mallikarjun Kharge (who tin talk fluent Marathi) successful Maharashtra is besides helping america unite Dalits down the MVA.

The Congress criticised the Enkath Shinde authorities erstwhile it announced the Ladki Bahin Yojana, arguing it could airs a strain connected the budget. Now, the MVA has promised respective sops. Where volition you find the resources?

GDP maturation has travel down due to the fact that of this government. Regarding the guarantees, we had done an extended study, connected nationalist concern and the fiscal concern of Maharashtra. We person made a program to rise much revenues done assorted sources and we volition surely find the resources. We person a wide program for implementing these programmes.

The Congress and the BJP are locked successful a nonstop contention successful 72 seats, 36 of them successful Vidarbha alone. What is your strategy to instrumentality connected the BJP?

The combat is betwixt the Congress and the BJP successful Vidarbha and Marathwada. We are going to triumph determination successful a large way. We person a plan. Farmers’ contented is the astir important happening successful some regions. Cotton, onion, and soybean farmers are successful distress. The largest fig of husbandman suicides happened successful these areas. The Centre did not instrumentality attraction of this aspect. The Centre’s import-export argumentation has damaged Maharashtra farmers successful a large way. So, they volition ne'er hide this. Vidarbha has been a Congress bastion for long. It became wide successful the Lok Sabha elections arsenic well. We consciousness that we volition execute good successful these areas.

Why is the Congress not keen connected the MVA projecting a CM face?

The Congress ne'er announces a CM candidate. We volition not bash that adjacent if the Congress is warring the predetermination alone. After the elections, we volition beryllium down and we volition elite the leader.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is said to beryllium keen astir the confederation projecting Uddhav Thackeray arsenic the CM look now.

We person spoken to them and told them that this is our strategy. Everybody agreed.

If the MVA wins, volition the adjacent CM beryllium from the enactment that has the largest fig of seats?

That we volition determine lone aft the elections.

There is overmuch heartburn successful the Mumbai Congress. The enactment is contesting successful lone 11 of the 36 seats.

It happens. When we are successful an alliance, you instrumentality much seats successful areas wherever you are strong, your confederation spouse volition instrumentality much seats successful areas wherever they are strong. In Vidarbha, the Shiv Sena (UBT) got lone 9 seats. It happens. We would similar to person a harmonious concern among the conjugation partners. Look astatine the Mahayuti. The BJP is giving seats to Eknath Shinde’s enactment and besides candidates. They person forced the Shinde enactment to tract BJP leaders arsenic candidates connected its symbol. This has ne'er happened successful the conjugation strategy successful India. You are giving seats arsenic good arsenic candidates. The BJP is swallowing up its partners.

Were you amazed that Sharad Pawar managed to get 87 seats for his party, punching supra its weight?

We wanted to person a harmonious concern successful the coalition. We did not privation unnecessary problems. We wanted unity among the partners truthful that the confederation looked credible. The BJP, connected the different hand, has astir finished disconnected Ajit Pawar and Shinde. It is keeping them astir lone for present and volition get escaped of them aft the elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the BJP volition contention unsocial successful 2029.

How assured are you astir the MVA’s chances?

We are precise hopeful that the radical of Maharashtra volition ballot for change. Corruption successful the authorities authorities is the astir important communicative now. The radical of Maharashtra person rejected the BJP’s machinations of splitting parties and pulling down a government. They consciousness immoderate the BJP did successful Maharashtra successful the past 5 years was unethical and against governmental morality. The BJP did done the aforesaid successful Karnataka and the radical of that authorities punished it. Likewise, this authorities volition besides beryllium ousted.