Prithviraj Chavan accuses NCP of 'back-stabbing' Cong in 2014 assembly polls

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan accused the NCP of having "back-stabbed" his party by withdrawing its support from the Maharashtra government ahead of the 2014 state Assembly polls.

His comments came after senior NCP leader Praful Patel had recently accused the Congress of pulling his party down even as it "sank" itself by wrongfully charging it with involvement in scandals.

"The NCP back-stabbed the Congress by withdrawing its support from the Maharashtra government ahead of the 2014 state Assembly polls," Chavan said.

He also refuted Patel's contention that he had ordered a probe against the NCP leaders in the Rs. 70,000 crore irrigation scam.

"It was late Maharashtra Home minister RR Patil, who had given the permission to conduct an inquiry into the alleged Rs. 70,000 irrigation scam," Mr Chavan said.

"Even I was shocked by reading news reports of the (then) government's approval to conduct a probe into the (alleged) irrigation scam. I did not even know about the decision which was taken by RR Patil," he said.