Ashok Chavan joins exit queue, Maharashtra Congress frets about central, state leadership

A HUSHED blame game has started in the Maharashtra Congress after the resignation of former chief minister Ashok Chavan from the party, close on the heels of two other leaders quitting the state unit.

At least two senior leaders said Monday that the high command had failed to address the concerns of party leaders like Chavan, and said there should be “instrospection” on why people were leaving.

However, others pointed to the twin threats hanging over the heads of many leaders – of probes by Central agencies, and of uncertainty about their own political futures. And that no amount of mollycoddling would have guaranteed their allegiance to the party.

In its official reaction on Chavan leaving the party, the Congress laid the blame at his and the BJP’s door, suggesting that he had succumbed to the pressure of the cases against him.

Announcing his resignation Monday, Chavan was silent on his political future and refrained from attacking the Congress. “I’m not going to criticise anyone. It’s not in my nature to air my grievances in public,” he said.

Senior leader Sanjay Nirupam, who called Chavan an “indispensable” leader, blamed his exit on the “behaviour” of state Congress leaders. “Ashok Chavan was definitely an asset to the party. Some are calling him a liability, some are blaming the Enforcement Directorate. All these are knee-jerk reactions. In reality, he was troubled by the behaviour of one particular senior Congress leader from Maharashtra. He had at various times alerted the party senior leadership about his concerns. Had his complaints been taken seriously, this moment would not have arisen.”

Nirupam added: “He is a skilled, resourceful organiser with a mass following. The entire leadership witnessed his capabilities in