‘Vikhe Patil backstabbed Rahul Gandhi at most crucial moment’

Speaking to HT, Chavan expressed confidence that the Congress-NCP along with the smaller partners will win at least 24 seats in the state, adding the Vikhe Patil episode would not hurt their prospects.

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday said his party colleague, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, backstabbed Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a time when his contribution was needed in the state. He said the party could agree to the idea of equal sharing of PM’s post, if they don’t get enough numbers in the Lok Sabha elections.

Congress leaders Prithviraj Chavan and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil. (HT File)

Vikhe Patil, who was the leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, became an embarrassment for the Congress, as his son, Sujay, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to contest from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency. Further, Vikhe Patil refused to campaign for the Congress-NCP and was reportedly seen seeking votes for BJP-Sena candidates in Ahmednagar district. The party asked him to step down as the Opposition Leader and recently accepted his resignation from the post.

Speaking to HT, Chavan expressed confidence that the Congress-NCP along with the smaller partners will win at least 24 seats in the state, adding the Vikhe Patil episode would not hurt their prospects. “The family built an empire for themselves as Congress leaders. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil was a minister for years, while his father enjoyed key positions in the party. He campaigned against party candidates on two seats. He has backstabbed Rahul Gandhi, when he should have stood by the party president,” remarked Chavan. “Bad blood could have been avoided if the state and central leadership had handled the issue well and persuaded the Vikhe Patils to stay back,” he said.

Chavan also predicted agreement on equal sharing of the five-year term of prime ministership, if the Congress failed to get enough numbers. “Gandhi has kept it open and is flexible to support the alliance partners if needed. If we don’t get enough numbers, there could be adjustment on sharing the post of the PM. This has never happened before…We are ready to compromise to form the government,” he said.

Chavan said the BJP will be restricted to 170-175 seats, and forming government would not be possible for the party. “Forget Modi, but a government headed by any BJP leader is not possible after the Lok Sabha elections. None of the parties outside the UPA will support the government as everybody, including Mayawati and Chandrababu Naidu, is anti-Modi. On the contrary, it would be easier for the Congress to bring smaller parties together,” he said.

While launching an attack on the Fadnavis government on its handling of the agrarian crisis, drought and unemployment, Chavan demanded a status paper on the ongoing irrigation projects. “The irrigation potential has not improved in the past five years of the BJP-led government. It they are claiming to have completed the irrigation projects, they should show us the status,” he said.

Chavan also said that the Fadnavis government was falling short of funds to fight drought in the state.