Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
MPCC chief backs Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for doing ‘fantastic job’
By Dheeraj Fartode
While firing salvo at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakre urged the Congress workers not to get demoralised by defeat in Lok Sabha election but to concentrate on ensuing Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election.
Firing salvo at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Amit Shah, who had visited the Orange City on Friday, Manikrao Thakre said that people of Maharashtra who had faith in ideology of Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar would reject Shah’s model in the ensuing election of Legislative Assembly. Thakre was addressing Congress workers from West Nagpur in a meeting held at Sanskrutik Bhavan here on Saturday.
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| MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre, Minister of State Rajendra Mulak, former minister Satish Chaturvedi, Congress city chief Vikas Thakre and others on dais during convention of West Nagpur Congress workers. |
Minister of State for Energy Rajendra Mulak, MLA Dinanath Padole, Leader of Opposition in NMC Vikas Thakre, former ministers Satish Chaturvedi, Vinod Gudadhe Patil, former MP Gev Awari, former MLC S Q Zama, Sheikh Husain, Atul Kotecha, Jaiprakash Gupta, Vishal Muttemwar, and others were present on the dais.
“BJP and Narendra Modi’s promise of ‘Achche Din’ had proved to be a balloon that burst soon after Lok Sabha election, and common man is facing the heat of rising inflation,” Manikrao Thakre said. Soon after taking over, the BJP-led Government at the Centre effected rail fare hike. Congress’ agitation forced Modi government to roll back hike in fares of local trains.
Thakre asked party workers not to get demoralised over Lok Sabha poll result, and gear up for Legislative Assembly polls. “Visit every household in your area and inform people about good work done during the rule of Congress,” he said. “Communal forces that killed Mahatma Gandhi may try to disturb peace in the State during Assembly election and we need to be alert,” he said. He urged the party leaders to bury the hatchets and ensure victory for the party in Assembly elections. Without making a direct reference to discontent against Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Thakre said that Chavan had done a ‘fantastic job’ in the State with transparency.
Mulak accused BJP-led Nagpur Vikas Aghadi’s rule in Nagpur Municipal Corporation of failure in providing basic amenities to citizens. He alleged that BJP had no vision of development and hence the road condition in city had deteriorated, citizens were not getting proper drinking water, and were facing various problems. He urged Vikas Thakre to corner BJP in NMC.
Vikas Thakre appealed MPCC chief to give opportunity to local leader to contest from West Nagpur Assembly seat. Congress will definitely win all six Assembly seats in Nagpur city, he said.
Dinanath Padole and Satish Chaturvedi asked party workers to reach out to citizens and make them aware about good work done by Congress government. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Harish Gwalbanshi and Nitish Gwalbanshi joined Congress along with their supporters.
Rane stays with
Cong: Thakre
In his brief interaction with the reporters, Manikrao Thakre said that Industries Minister Narayan Rane -- who has announced to resign from Congress-led Government in State -- would stay with the party. “We are trying to pacify Rane. Senior national and state leaders of the party have spoken to him after his public announcement of resignation,” said Thakre. On seven corporators of Congress from Thane city joining Shiv Sena, MPCC chief said that they switched over only for their ‘personel gains’.
Row between Thakre and
Mulak over West Nagpur
The tiff between Minister of State for Energy Rajendra Mulak and Congress’ city chief Vikas Thakre became quite visible during the Congress meet as both took jibes at each other, making clear their intentions to contest as Congress candidate from West Nagpur segment of Assembly.
In his speech, Mulak came down heavily on BJP over ‘misrule’ in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and asked Vikas Thakre, who is Leader of Opposition in NMC, to corner BJP. The workers treated this as an indirect advice to Vikas Thakre to remain in NMC and not to stake claim for Congress ticket from West Nagpur segment.
Vikas Thakre hit back and publicly appealed MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre to field only the ‘local candidate’ from the segment. “West Nagpur was once a citadel of Congress, but the party lost the seat after fielding a candidate from Rural Nagpur. Party workers are working hard to regain the seat for Congress, but if a high-profile candidate is imposed on them, BJP will retain the seat,” he said without naming Mulak.
Many party workers also said that it was Vikas Thakre who had convinced Gwalbanshi brothers to join Congress party in presence of MPCC chief. Vikas Thakre also asked MPCC chief that it would be injustice to loyal party worker if the ticket from West Nagpur segment was given to some ‘leader from Rural Nagpur’.
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