Cong will make Dhote’s dream of separate Vidarbha a reality: Patole

Nagpur: Even though he’s pitted against one of the BJP’s heavyweight leaders, Congress Lok Sabha candidate Nana Patole is confident of making inroads into the former’s votes on various issues, including the vexed Vidarbha statehood, and emerge victorious. Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of his campaign, the former Bhandara-Gondia MP says he’s an ardent supporter of Vidarbha statehood movement, and had even raised the issue through a private member bill in Parliament.TOI accompanied the three-time MLA during the first half of the day as he campaigned through parts of Nagpur.
At 7.30am, about a hundred Congress activists were gathered in front of Patole’s flat at Rahate Colony Square to join for the rally. Some senior Congress leaders like Baban Taywade were present with a delegation of Kunbi Samaj to support him, along with social worker Anil Wadpalliwar. The first foot rally was planned for Pandhrabodi Police Post at 8am, but Patole was delayed. Therefore the rally was led by city Congress chief Vikas Thakre, as over 100 supporters were waiting there since morning.
At 9am, Patole went directly to Bharat Van, where he listened to residents’ grievances and slammed Union minister Nitin Gadkari over haphazard development without caring for the environment. “You call this development, where natural water sources are depleting due to cement roads, drainage systems are getting choked, and temperatures are on the rise. Even big cities like Chennai don’t have such roads. They are suitable in hilly areas, where roads are often swept away by rains. The rulers have taken huge loans under the pretext of development and are recovering it from the hapless citizens,” he said.
Patole told residents he resigned as MP due to wrong policies of the Modi government that would destroy the country. “The entire collectorate here is under tremendous pressure of the government and not following Election Commission guidelines. The official handling of process is doubtful,” he said.
The former Bhandara-Gondia MP questioned the union minister on his drive to make cement roads across the country. “Currently, power is in wrong hands of Gadkari, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who’re all businessmen. Without power, no one cares about them. The citizens are upset with these powerful people. The Kelibag shopkeepers met me recently after their old shops were razed after being ousted by Gadkari, who lives in the same area.”
Later, Patole’s convoy moved towards former deputy mayor late Himmatrao Saraikar’s home. His son Sanjay is now city Congress unit vice president. There, Patole spoke to people from the locality and sought blessings from Saraikar’s mother. While resting there, he spoke to TOI on the vexed issue of Vidarbha statehood, where he accused Gadkari and Fadnavis of not fulfilling written assurances made to the people.
“Congress would make the dream of Vidarbha statehood a reality under new Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi. We will fulfil dreams of late Jambuwantrao Dhote. Gandhi had already declared launch of ‘Make in Vidarbha’ campaign and developing Nagpur as logistics hub on the lines of Dubai and Singapore. The people would teach BJP a befitting lesson for fooling them.”
Patole, accompanied by Congress spokesperson Sandesh Singalkar and others, also came down heavily on Fadnavis, stating that he had failed to maintain law and order in the city, despite being CM and home minister. “These three leaders are privatizing all basic services, including water and power, and burdening taxpayers. They’re also bringing new power plants, which will add pollution. The Nag river cleaning project is yet to see the light of the day. The localities dominated by tribals and Muslims, like in Jaripatka, are still not being developed,” he says.
The Congress nominee then later went to Shrikant Jichkar’s house and met his family members. Later, he went to Pandhrabodi, where he received a rousing welcome. He held a meeting with activists at Buddha Vihar to finalize booth positions and persons to be appointed there. He concluded the rally after visiting former MP Vilas Muttemwar’s home.

The Congress LS aspirant from Nagpur seat, Nana Patole, termed both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Nitin Gadkari as “modern day (Joseph) Stalins (who ruled the then Soviet Union with iron hand)”. Speaking to TOI, he says both are dream merchants and sell dreams to capture power. “Stalin made the opposition weak, destroyed democratic institutions, and ruled for years. Modi is following this ideology in the country and Gadkari in the city,” he claimed.