With so many against the govt, our victory was inevitable: Ramesh Chennithala

MUMBAI: The turnaround in the fortunes of the Congress in Maharashtra, from a single seat in the 2019 polls to 13 seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, have given the party a much-needed boost. Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, spoke to Hindustan Times after the victory. Excerpts:

Q: What led to the rise in seats won by your party in Maharashtra?

A: Our victory was inevitable, given that so many people were against the tri-party government in Maharashtra. Farmers were against them, Marathas and Dhangars were against them. Many false promises, like reservation quotas for Marathas and Dhangars, were doled out by the central and state government but never fulfilled.

Then there were the burning issues of unemployment and the agrarian crisis, which led to the highest number of farmer suicides. All this went against the BJP and the Mahayuti.

The way in which Uddhav Thackeray’s government was dislodged by using central government agencies was also despised by the people. Uddhav’s government was doing well but it was toppled by using the ED and CBI. On the other side, the performance of the Eknath Shinde government has not been good. Also, people had no faith in Narendra Modi’s programmes. The small traders were affected by GST and the price rise affected everyone. These issues were seen in all regions at the ground level.

Narendra Modi’s offensive speeches against Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar also went against the ruling alliance.

Q: Have you spoken to your party’s Vishal Patil who stood as a rebel candidate in Sangli and won? Will any action be taken against him for contesting against the official MVA candidate?

A: I have spoken to him, and no, we are not going to take any action. He will rejoin the Congress. We welcome him, and he has pledged support to us.

Q: Did you take up the issue of the Sangli and Mumbai South Central constituencies, where candidates were unilaterally announced by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray?

I don’t want to talk about it now.

Q: What are your thoughts on unity and cohesion in the MVA?

All of us—Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena UBT—worked together and had great coordination. There was complete unity and I personally supervised it.

Q: Will the Congress ask for a bigger share in assembly seats on the basis of its performance in the Lok Sabha elections?

A: Now is not the time to discuss this. Seats are immaterial. We have to bring back the MVA government. Our main aim is to throw out this present government.

Q: What changes will the Congress effect in its organisation to render itself stronger for the assembly polls?

A: We will discuss this and streamline our organisation.

Q: Congress leader Ashok Chavan left to join the BJP, but this did not help the BJP, as a Congress candidate, Kalyan Kale, won from Nanded. Comment.

A: Ashok Chavan’s going makes no difference. He might even be repenting now. Our candidate has won from Nanded.

Q: Some of the people who left the Congress may be wanting to come back. What will be the Congress strategy now?

A: The people who left us have to understand the ground reality. Maharashtra is the place of the Congress and the majority here wants the Congress.