Response to criticism against CM, leaders after Diwali: MPCC chief

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manikrao Thakre has indicated that the party will give a reply to the criticisms against the chief minister and its leaders after the Diwali festival is over.

Thakre was replying to a question at a news conference on Monday, referring to the chief minister’s suggestion that all was well with the alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). 

There has been a fresh verbal duel between NCP and Congress leaders over the past ten days, which started with RR Patil, who is the home minister, saying that the Congress was full of criminals and that the party was a pain for the NCP.

Then, Thakre responded to Patil’s comments saying that if a census was to be taken to find the party with the maximum members with criminal links, the NCP would top the list. Subsequently, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, speaking at a sugar factory function in Satara district (from where the CM hails), chided Thakre saying, “If NCP is a party of goondas, what are you doing with us for all these years.”