This story is from February 21, 2020

Nagpur: Rather than nomination, CWC should elect members, says Prithviraj Chavan

In an indication towards growing fissures in the Congress, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the party suffered immensely due to nomination culture brought in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) after Sonia Gandhi took over as president in 1998. He is second Congressman after senior party leader Shashi Tharoor demanded that the polls should be conducted for party president’s post.
Nagpur: Rather than nomination, CWC should elect members, says Prithviraj Chavan
former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan
NAGPUR: In an indication towards growing fissures in the Congress, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the party suffered immensely due to nomination culture brought in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) after Sonia Gandhi took over as president in 1998. He is second Congressman after senior party leader Shashi Tharoor demanded that the polls should be conducted for party president’s post.
During his courtesy visit to TOI-MT office on Thursday, Chavan further admitted that the probe into multi-crore irrigation scam, which he had first launched as CM, wouldn’t progress much since those facing accusations “were in power”.

While demanding to conduct polls for CWC’s 10 elected members, he said only then good state-level leaders would come out. “During tenures of former premier PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri, there used to be polls for CWC’s ten seats from where good leaders like Madhavrao Scindia and Rajesh Pilot had emerged. There used to be 10 elected and 11 nominated seats on the CWC, but now all are nominated members. The coterie around Gandhi didn’t let the polls to be conducted in all these years, due to which good leaders are not emerging.”
Citing examples of how the “good leaders” were denied opportunity, Chavan said, “In Haryana, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was brought back as the party’s chief just five months prior to the polls. Of course, the party needs younger and energetic leaders, but experience shouldn’t be ignored. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar is the best example of vast network of supporters,” he said.
“In Madhya Pradesh, after appointing Kamal Nath as CM, the state chief’s post should have been granted to Jyotiraje Scindia or his close aide from the party. In Rajasthan as well, there are same issues, which could be sorted out,” Chavan added.
Speaking on Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Chavan made a startling claim that had BJP retained power in the state, it would have spelt doom for the Congress and the NCP as the former had destroyed its strongholds sectors like cooperatives, dairy and sugar. “They had also carried out many defections from our party. Ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis had made full preparations of ending our domination had he come back. I was the first one to convince Gandhi on forming the government, although she was reluctant. It wasn’t easy to stitch an alliance but we came together with the only aim of keeping the common enemy (BJP) away from power.”

Explaining the party’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the ex-CM said they would oppose it tooth and nail. “PM Narendra Modi’s image has taken a hit due the ongoing protests. His dream to come at par with former US president Barack Obama is over. It (CAA) was brought with a view to polarize the people.”
Opposing CM Uddhav Thackeray’s stand of allowing National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the Elgar Parishad probe, Chavan said MVA should have constituted SIT for incident. “NIA’s track record is worst, although we can’t stop it from taking over as per the NIA law.”
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