India
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole sparks row with ‘dog’ jibe against BJP; party strikes back | India News – Times of India
Addressing a rally in Akola, Patole said, “I would like to ask: would you – the OBCs of Akola district – vote for the BJP that calls you ‘kutta’ (dog)?… It is time to turn BJP into a ‘kutta ‘ (dog). kutta’. (“I want to ask whether the OBC people of Akola district will vote for the BJP whom you call dogs? It’s time to make the BJP a dog now; they have become so arrogant.”)
The Bharatiya Janata Party hit back at Patole’s ‘dog’ comments, terming it Congress’s frustration ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Also read: ‘Power jihad is the defining theme of Mahayuti,’ says Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said these statements prove this Maha Vikas Aghadi the declining state of the oppositional alliance.
“They go from disappointment to dejection. Sharad Pawar says something; Uddhav Thackeray verbally abuses Election Commission. Now, Rahul Gandhi’s Congress is calling the BJP a ‘kutta’ as opinion polls show a clear majority for Mahayuti. So I can say it. understand their disappointment,” the BJP leader told news agency ANI.
Also read: Nana Patole accuses BJP of spreading lies on minority reservations
Patole’s ‘dog’ comment comes days after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant allegedly called former BJP leader Shaina NC, who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, ”imported meal”.
Commenting on her party switch, Sawant said, “Look at her condition. She was in the BJP all her life and now she went to another party. Imported ‘maal’ doesn’t work here; only original ‘maal’ works.” Sawant subsequently apologized for his discriminatory comment.
As November 20, the election date, approaches, political tensions escalating between the two main alliances, the Mahayuti (led by the BJP) and the MVA, as they prepare for an intense electoral battle. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 23.
