Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday said his party will go before the people and apprise them about promises made by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections which have remained unfulfilled so far.
Patole said the state Congress has resolved to reach out to the last man in the line with the message of Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi and the party's ideology through its 'Haath se haath jodo' mass outreach campaign which will be launched from January 26.
Under the two-month-long nationwide campaign, the Opposition party will take out padyatra covering all gram panchayats and booths.
He was talking to reporters here after a crucial meeting of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) which discussed preparations for the 'Haath se haath jodo' campaign and approved seven resolutions on different issues.
Former Union ministers M M Pallam Raju, Vilas Muttemwar, Prithviraj Chavan, MPCC members, party MPs from Maharashtra and legislators took part in the meeting. Raju, who is the Maharashtra in-charge of the 'Haath se haath jodo' programme, Muttemwar and Chavan were also present at the press conference.
Patole appealed to common citizens and Congress workers from Maharashtra to participate in the Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra when it reaches Srinagar on January 30.
The state Congress president accused the ruling BJP of dividing people on religious lines and diverting their attention from real issues facing the country.
Patole said one of the resolutions passed at the meeting thanked common citizens, Congress workers, non-governmental organizations, civil society members and doctors, among others, for supporting rallies at Nanded and Shegaon which were organised when the Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Maharashtra in November last year.
Resolutions were also passed demanding crop loan and farm water bill waivers for farmers of Maharashtra and condemning the shifting of industries from Maharashtra to other states. Another resolutions sought caste-based census and reservation in promotions for government employees hailing from SC/ST communities.
Hitting out at the BJP, Patole said the Congress will go before the people and tell them about the promises made by the saffron party in the 2014 and 2019 general elections which have not been fulfilled yet.
"The BJP is trying to divert attention from main issues, but we will bring back those issues before the people," said the Congress leader.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on rioting in Brazil, Patole said the PM should also talk about what is happening to democracy in India.
Modi on Monday expressed deep concerns over reports of rioting in the South American country by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro and asserted democratic traditions must be respected by everyone.
Patole said, "We can see a conflict is going on between the judiciary and the central government on certain issues."
-With PTI Input
