BJP, Modi trying to end Gandhi-Nehru ideology: Congress leader Chennithala
Mumbai (PTI): The Congress' Maharashtra in charge Ramesh Chennithala has said the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were trying to the end the Gandhi-Nehru ideology.
He was speaking on Saturday after a two-day state level training camp concluded in Lonavala in Pune, which was attended by all top leaders, including state unit chief Nana Patole, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and former minister Balasaheb Thorat.
"Narendra Modi and the BJP are working to end democracy. If Modi comes back to power, many people will have to go to jail. Because he doesn't believe in democracy or the Constitution. In this election, we face a do-or-die situation," Chennithala said.
"Modi constantly criticises Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as he wants to end the Gandhi-Nehru ideology," the Kerala MLA added.
Speaking about the state level camp, he said there was very little time for the Lok Sabha polls, which will have to be fought in a scientific manner with proper booth management.
The INDIA alliance must work unitedly to ensure its wins 48 seats in Maharashtra, he said, adding that there must be discipline within the Congress.
It will not work if anyone starts speaking out of line, Chennithala added.
The NSUI, Youth Congress, frontal cells should also have regional level meetings, he added.
Patole said comprehensive discussions took place at the camp.
"We must work with the pride that we are Congress workers. The Congress should be united in the entire state. All cells, frontal organizations should be together. We don't have time to waste and must work on war footing," he said.
"The atmosphere is in favour of the Congress and MVA. The BJP is lying and cheating people. Remember, Maharashtra can stop Modi from retaining power," Patole claimed.
Thorat, the Congress Legislature Party leader, said his party had not regressed but people's principles were regressing.
At present politics doesn't have any ideology and those who have left the Congress will come back when the party regains power, he said.
"Don't let commercial politics continue. We should not allow such people within the Congress party. People should teach such commercial politicians a lesson," he said.
The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was generating positive energy among masses and with requisite efforts the Maha Vikas Aghadi can win more than 38 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Thorat said.
"The Congress party has a tradition, philosophy and work to show. The Congress has sacrificed for the country. We should be proud that we belong to the Congress. Elections are going to be fought as an alliance. No matter who the candidate is, the goal is that BJP and Narendra Modi should not stay in power. It is not in the interest of the country," Thorat said.
Speaking on the occasion, former CM Prithviraj Chavan said PM Modi constantly talks about India becoming the fifth largest economy in his leadership and that the country would be a developed one by 2047.
"But the pace of the country's economy is much slower under Modi than what it was under the UPA government of Dr Manmohan Singh. If the pace was similar now, we would have been the third largest economy by now," Chavan claimed.
During the UPA period (2004-14), the economy expanded by 183 per cent, while during the Modi era, it is 103 per cent, he pointed out.
"Demonetisation, implementation of GST, sudden lockdown, war waged against farmers and corruption have slowed down the pace of the economy. A dream is being shown that India will become a developed nation by 2047 but for that the per capita income should increase," he said.
"A country with high per capita income is a prosperous country. For that the per capita income should be USD 13,845. Currently, India's per capita income is USD 2800 dollars. The economy needs to grow at 10 per cent but under Modi it is only growing at 6-6.25 per cent. He is misleading people," Chavan claimed.
Meanwhile, Patole said the law for Maratha quota should be passed in the special session of the Maharashtra Legislature in such a way that it stands legal scrutiny.
The law enacted by the Devendra Fadnavis government (2014-19) was struck down by court, he said.
The Maharashtra government has cheated the Maratha community and quota activist Manoj Jarange, he asserted.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
