In the name of making India Congress-free, BJP has become Congress-affiliated: Harshavarshan Sapkal

Mumbai: In the name of making India Congress-free, BJP has become Congress-affiliated, Maharashtra Congress President Harshavarshan Sapkal said on Monday.

“The Congress party is the oldest and most experienced party in the country and is a party that runs on the ideology of Congress. The Congress has a capable and capable leadership and workers. Whereas BJP is a witch who eats workers of other parties,” Sapkal said addressing a two-day workshop hosted the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) at Khadakwasla in Pune district.

"If you look around the Chief Minister and in the cabinet, you see people from Congress,” he said, adding that they claim to have one crore members and a leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but that leadership is hollow and weak.

“That's why they are forced to induct Congress workers — a tragedy in itself. In their obsession with creating a Congress-free India, the BJP has itself become Congress-filled,” he said.

Speaking to the media about the workshop, Sapkal said it was organised to train newly appointed office bearers, with the aim that every worker should be trained.

The focus will be on a three-point approach — orientation, introduction, and interaction. Senior leaders and subject experts will guide participants over the two days. The workshop will outline future programs and action plans.

Congress, he stressed, does not believe in waking up only during elections and becoming inactive afterwards; it is a continuous movement working towards self-rule.

Among those present during the workshop include Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Legislative Council group leader Satej alias Bunty Patil, Congress Working Committee member and former minister Balasaheb Thorat, former minister Dr. Vishwajeet Kadam, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries BM Sandeep, Kunal Choudhary, UB Venkatesh, Vice President (Organization & Administration) Ganesh Patil, senior spokesperson Atul Londhe, and others.

Wadettiwar said there are many challenges ahead. “Congress has never considered power as supreme; it has worked keeping Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities in mind. BJP, however, is running the government only for two industrialists. Power should be for the common man. Connect with the people, build your identity through work and merit. Go to every home, understand people's problems, and work with the vision of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. In the state, the BJP alliance runs a looter government. They have massive power, ED, and CBI at their disposal. Loot is rampant, and 40% commission is being pocketed,” he said.

Thorat told office bearers that they are heirs to the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Congress has a history of sacrifice, and that should make us proud. “The party has seen difficult times and defeats, yet it has risen again to victory. The current state government's functioning is appalling — assaults happen inside the Assembly, legislators brawl in the canteen, gunfire takes place, and corruption is rampant. We must take up issues close to the public's heart — banking, farmers' concerns, and the large-scale corruption in NAFED. Work on these issues and the people will stand with us, Thorat assured, adding that Congress will bring governments that uphold its ideology and the Constitution.