 "Chavan not barred from polls: Sonia on giving ticket to him")
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today brushed aside criticism over giving ticket to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in the Lok Sabha elections, saying that he was "not debarred" from contesting polls.
"The decision (to field Chavan in polls) was taken by the Central Elections Committee. As far as we know, Chavan is not debarred from contesting elections by any law," she said addressing a press conference for the release of Congress election manifesto.
"I will answer the question," Sonia Gandhi said as a reporter asked Rahul about the contradiction between his tearing up the ordinance on convicted lawmakers and raising anti-corruption issues while giving ticket to Chavan (in Nanded), whose name had cropped up in the Adarsh Housing scam in Maharashtra.
Chavan had quit as Chief Minister in 2010 after his name surfaced in the Adarsh Housing scam. Late last year, when the State Government rejected an inquiry report in the scam that had indicted Chavan, Rahul Gandhi intervened to force the State Cabinet to reconsider its decision.
"The decision (to field Chavan in polls) was taken by the Central Elections Committee. As far as we know, Chavan is not debarred from contesting elections by any law," she said addressing a press conference for the release of Congress election manifesto.
"I will answer the question," Sonia Gandhi said as a reporter asked Rahul about the contradiction between his tearing up the ordinance on convicted lawmakers and raising anti-corruption issues while giving ticket to Chavan (in Nanded), whose name had cropped up in the Adarsh Housing scam in Maharashtra.
Chavan had quit as Chief Minister in 2010 after his name surfaced in the Adarsh Housing scam. Late last year, when the State Government rejected an inquiry report in the scam that had indicted Chavan, Rahul Gandhi intervened to force the State Cabinet to reconsider its decision.