Wish he was as concerned earlier as he is now: Jyotiraditya Scindia hits back at Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Mar 9: Senior BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "would have become CM" remark, saying he wishes Gandhi was as concerned when he was in the Congress as he is now.
Gandhi had told his party's youth wing leaders that had Jyotiraditya Scindia remained in the Congress he would have certainly become chief minister but was now a "backbencher" in the BJP, according to sources.
The former Congress chief said he had told Scindia so, but "he chose a different path" by joining the BJP, where he can never be the chief minister.
Asked about the remarks, Scindia told PTI, "I wish Rahul Gandhi was as concerned when I was in the Congress as he is now."
Scindia had left the Congress along with some legislators loyal to him to join the BJP last year. This led to the fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.
READ ALSO---Had Scindia remained in Cong he would have become CM, but now a BJP 'backbencher': Rahul Gandhi
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Cong claims TVK chief Vijay has sought its support for govt formation in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday claimed that TVK chief Vijay has sought its support for government formation in Tamil Nadu and its leadership has directed the state unit to take a final decision on the matter, keeping in view the state's sentiments.
The party, which fought the assembly election in alliance with the DMK, asserted that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government and that it is determined "not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner".
Top Congress leaders held a meeting at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Tuesday evening that was attended by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar, among others.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said the Congress leadership discussed the post-election scenario in Tamil Nadu.
"TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu. He has spoken about drawing inspiration from Perumthalaivar Kamaraj as well, in his political mission.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the Government of Tamil Nadu in any manner," he said.
"Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Thiru Vijay's request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict," Venugopal told reporters.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each.
On the other hand, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
