'I Didn't Meet Sonia Gandhi': Ashok Chavan Dismisses Rahul Gandhi's 'Weeping' Claim

Former Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Monday clarified that he did not visit party veteran Sonia Gandhi before he quit to join Bharatiya Janata Party last month as he dismissed Rahul Gandhi's claim of him 'weeping' before his mother.

Addressing the INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai on Sunday Rahul Gandhi claimed that a former Congress leader had come to his mother 'weeping' as he could not fight the BJP and later joined the saffron party.

What did Ashok Chavan say?

Reacting to the claim, Chavan in a video message on Monday and said even though Rahul Gandhi made the statement about an anonymous leader, but if it is him, then that is 'baseless'.

Chavan said, "If he is saying that about me, then it is illogical and baseless. The truth is that till I resigned from the Congress, I was working at the party headquarters. I resigned from the post of MLA and a few moments later resigned from the party also. Till then, no one knew that I had resigned."

"I never met Sonia Gandhi. It is baseless (to say) that I met Sonia Gandhi and expressed my emotions. It is a political statement from the election point of view," Chavan added.

What did Rahul Gandhi claim?

Rahul Gandhi during his speech at the rally said, "I don't want to name names, but a senior leader from this state, left the Congress. Weeping, he told my mother, 'Sonia-ji, I'm ashamed to say, I do not have the power to fight this people, this force. I do not want to go to jail'."

Gandhi did not mention any names but Chavan resigned from the Congress last month and joined other list of other former Congress leaders Milind Deora and Baba Siddique who also quit the party recently.

Chavan was later declared elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed.

In 2010, Chavan stepped down as chief minister following allegations of involvement in the Adarsh housing scam in Mumbai. He was also state Congress chief during 2014-19.