Kalabaragi: Alleging that former Chincholi legislator Dr Umesh Jadhav who is now in the BJP, has tarnished the image of people of the constituency by 'selling' his MLA post, Minister for Social Welfare Priyank Kharge appealed to voters to teach him a lesson by defeating his son and BJP candidate Dr Avinash Jadhav in the coming byelection.
Addressing a public meeting organised to mark the filing of nomination papers by Congress candidate Subash Rathod in Chincholi on Monday, Mr Priyank said it is the first time in the history of Chincholi that a legislator has done something like this. "Democracy means by the people, for the people and of the people. But Dr Jadhav has given it a new definition -for money, by money and of money. He has lost the moral authority to seek votes and is now seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He should enlighten us about his contributions to the poor and also the farming community", Mr Priyank remarked.
Reacting to the allegation by Dr Jadhav that he (Priyank) was made a minister bypassing many senior leaders, the minister asserted that he had worked for over 20 years in the Congress from the grassroot level. "I lost the first election I faced. What were your contributions when you were selected as a candidate? Recently a BJP leader had observed that poll tickets cannot be decided on the basis of one's DNA. But look at the state of affairs in the district unit of BJP. The Revoors, Guttedars, Patils.. . they all have promoted their family members in politics. Is this not dynastic politics?", Mr Priyank asked.
Minister for Cooperation Bandeppa Kashempur also attacked Dr Jadhav for betraying the Congress and for ensuring the ticket for his son Dr Avinash.
Mr Subash Rathod alleged that an attempt is being made to portray him as an outsider. "How can I be an outsider when I have fought for various issues concerning Chincholi such as the sale of newborn babies and female infanticide? This is a fight between a rich Jadhav and a poor Rathod. I have full confidence that voters will support me,” he said.
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