Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Rahul Gandhi is against Ambedkar's ideology, alleges state BJP chief

Nagpur: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday alleged that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is opposed to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology and does a "drama" of protecting the Constitution.

Bawankule also claimed that several "urban Naxals" were trying to incite people against the country, and asked why Rahul Gandhi's 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan', scheduled in Nagpur on Wednesday ahead of the November 20 state polls, was a "closed door" event.

The Congress denied the charge, saying the BJP was spreading a "false narrative" about Gandhi's event.

Notably, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has in a recent interview stated that Gandhi is surrounded by "urban Naxals".

To a query on it, Bawankule said, "More than 165 urban Naxal organisations are creating anger against the country among people and in the society and are spoiling the atmosphere."

"Rahul Gandhi is opposed to Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology and does a drama of protecting the Constitution," he claimed.

The BJP leader sought to know why Gandhi was scheduled to hold a "closed door" event in Nagpur and not allowing media in the programme.

"On one hand, they talk about protecting the Constitution and on the other hand, they are suppressing rights given to the media by the Constitution," Bawankule said.

He also said the BJP has suspended 40 office-bearers for six years for anti-party activities and similar action will be taken against more people if they are found indulging in such activities during the poll campaign.

Countering BJP's allegations, Congress state spokesperson Atul Londhe said Rahul Gandhi's speech at the 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan' event will be streamed live for everyone and that media could not be accommodated due to space constraints in the programme hall.

Leader of opposition in the assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said, "It is not a political event, but a social programme organised by various social organisations. The BJP is spreading a false narrative about the event."

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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