Maharashtra election: Congress leader Nana Patole's ‘dog’ jibe triggers row; BJP reacts

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said Nana Patole made the controversial remark out of frustration.

Updated on: Nov 12, 2024, 13:52:24 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday slammed the Congress over its Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole's 'dog' remark, saying such comments show Maha Vikas Aghadi's dejection over impending defeat in the assembly election.

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole being felicitated by party workers during a meeting. (ANI file photo)

"They are going from disappointment to dejection. Sharad Pawar is saying something; Uddhav Thackeray is verbally abusing the Election Commission. Now, Rahul Gandhi's Congress is calling the BJP a 'kutta' because opinion polls show a clear majority for Mahayuti. So, I can understand their disappointment," said BJP leader Kirit Somaiyya.

BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said Nana Patole made the controversial remark out of frustration.

"Nana Patole is frustrated because when he travels on the ground, he can understand that the Congress is not going to form a government in Maharashtra. But in his frustration, he has said that he wants to tame the BJP as dogs... This shows the 'Emergency' mindset of the Congress party that it wants to tame its rivals and bring them under control…it wants to file cases against them and silence them. If they come to power in Maharashtra, they will file cases against whoever speaks against them," he told ANI.

Also read: Amid Shaina NC row, CEC Rajiv Kumar warns against ‘derogatory’ remarks on women

What did Nana Patole say?

Campaigning for a candidate in the Akola district on Monday, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that the BJP had become arrogant and it was time to make the party "a dog".

Nana Patole made the remark while criticising the BJP's alleged bad treatment of the OBC community.

Also read: Row erupts over Arvind Sawant’s derogatory remarks on Shaina NC

"I want to ask, will the OBC people of Akola district vote for the BJP who are calling you dogs? It is time to make the BJP a dog now; they have become so arrogant," he said, according to ANI.

The fresh controversy came days after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant reportedly referred to Shaina NC – a leader who defected from the BJP to the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde – as “imported maal.”

The Maharashtra assembly election will be held on November 20. Results will be announced on November 23.

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HT News Desk
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