Maharashtra Congress Chief Calls BJP ‘Witch Devouring Congress Leaders’
Commenting on it at an event in Parbhani, Sapkal said, “The BJP knows its real electoral strength comes from poaching Congress’s grassroots leaders and workers, despite having Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis, who claim to be great leaders.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday termed the BJP “a witch which devours Congress leaders.” BJP’s electoral strength comes from poaching Congress leaders, he said. His strong reaction came after state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule stirred controversy by openly urging party workers to break the Congress party and empty it by inducting its leaders and workers in the saffron party.
Commenting on it at an event in Parbhani, Sapkal said, “The BJP knows its real electoral strength comes from poaching Congress’s grassroots leaders and workers, despite having Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis, who claim to be great leaders. We condemn this political strategy.”
“BJP is a witch who eats Congress leaders and workers. The witch’s stomach is not full by eating the leaders. That is why she is also eager to eat the workers. We condemn the BJP’s attempt to break the opposition by showing fear of ED, police,” said Sakpal.
Earlier, speaking during a BJP workers’ district-level meeting in Pune, Bawankule referred to recent inductions, including the entry of former Congress MLA Sangram Thopte from Bhor into the BJP and asked the cadre not to worry about new entrants. “Bring people like Sangram Thopte into the party. Break the Congress, empty the Congress. Don’t worry about what will happen if Congress leaders join the BJP. The more you empty the Congress, the more you will benefit politically. Even if Congress leaders join the BJP, tickets will be given to loyal party workers first," he said. The audio clip of his speech has gone viral on social media.
Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut also criticised Bawankule’s statement, saying, “The old BJP led by Vajpayee, Advani, Pramod Mahajan and Sushma Swaraj was different. They gave strength to their own party cadre and pushed them to leadership roles. But this new BJP is taking leaders from other parties. If they allege that the Congress party has insulted Veer Savarkar, then how does it become acceptable for them to induct Congress leaders into the BJP?”