On a regular day, chief minister Ashok Chavan has no time for commoners, yet on Friday, he spent two-and-a-half hours twiddling his thumbs waiting for Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to arrive at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Ghatkopar.
Gandhi was scheduled to reach Ramabai Nagar at noon, and Chavan arrived at the venue with state Congress president Manikrao Thakre at 11.30am. Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh was already there. But, until 2 pm, there was no sign of the young leader.
All the while Chavan sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair under a tree. He was seen glancing repeatedly at his watch, and chatting with fellow Congressmen Thakre, Singh, Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap, to kill time. Just once during the entire wait, he dialled someone’s number asking about Gandhi’s arrival. When he finally arrived, Chavan accompanied him to a gathering of slum youths.
Last month, a few NGOs had complained that Chavan had no time to listen to their grievances. They had put up posters around Mantralaya saying ‘Our CM is lost’.
The opposition has criticised Chavan for wasting valuable time. “Chavan was playing the role of security guard for Rahul Gandhi,” Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said.
BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde said Chavan had downgraded the dignity of Maharashtra’s CM. “I would have understood if Chavan was waiting for the president or PM. He has not only insulted himself, but the 11 crore people of Maharashtra as well.”
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