Maharashtra Congress MLAs Skip Training Camp, Party Asks Them to Show Cause
Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress will issue a show cause notice to the MLAs and party office bearers who did not attend the two days training camp of the party at Lonavala in Pune district. More than a dozen MLAs including Zeeshan Siddhique did not attend the camp. Zeeshan is son of Baba Siddhique, who had recently left the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar led NCP.
The Maharashtra Congress on Friday began the two day camp at Lonavala for the party office bearers and legislators in the presence of the Congress's Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala. Party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge also addressed the convention. The party passed three resolutions in the camp against the Modi government in connection with inflation, unemployment, atrocities against the women and injustice to the downtrodden and poor people.
A party insider informed that more than a dozen MLAs did not participate in the two days camp. Besides this many office bearers were also not present. “Ramesh Chennithala has instructed us to issue show cause notices to those who did not attend the camp during his speech," he said.
The MLAs’ absence assumes significance in the backdrop of the speculation that many MLAs are going to jump ship to join ruling alliance parties, especially BJP ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls and Vidhan Sabha polls later this year.
Among those, who were absent, were Zeeshan Siddhique, Amin Patel, K.C. Padvi, Yashomati Thakur, Kunal Patil, Amit Jhanak, Jitesh Antapurkar and Sulabha Khodke. Amin Patel, the 61-year-old Mumbai MLA, is a close associate of Milind Deora, who recently joined the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena. Mr. Antapurkar is close to Ashok Chavan who recently joined the BJP.
When asked about the absence of several MLAs, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that they will issue show cause notices to those MLAs and office bearers. "Some MLAs had taken prior permission to not attend the camp citing valid reasons. Those MLAs and party officer bearers, who had not given justified reasons and remained absent, will be served show cause notices," Mr.Patole said.
The Maharashtra Congress president informed that seven MLAs were absent without giving valid reasons.
When contacted, Amin Patel said that he was not feeling well therefore he did not attend the training camp. “I have viral fever so I was not able to attend the meeting. I have informed this to the party high command and Maharashtra Congress president,” he said.
Interestingly, at least seven MLAs had stayed away from the legislative party meeting held in Mumbai two days ago. At that time also, the Congress downplayed it and said the MLAs had valid reasons. However, the party has been facing issues regarding its legislators for two years now.
In the legislative council elections held in June 2022, many Congress legislators had cross voted, which led to the defeat of party’s first choice candidate Chandrakant Handore. At least eight Congress MLAs were absent during the voting on trust motion moved by the Eknath Shinde government in August 2022. However, the party has overlooked such incidents.
