Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh today said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had stopped thinking of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "marketable face" after the demonetisation.
Addressing a press conference here, Singh said in Mumbai, BJP campaign posters were "80 percent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and 20 percent Prime Minister Narendra Modi".
"Fadnavis thinks Modi is not a marketable face after the demonetisation," he quipped.
The feud between Shiv Sena and BJP in the run-up to the civic polls was not about ideology but about "sharing of the loot" of 20 years of rule in the Mumbai civic body, he said.
Fadnavis recently called Shiv Sena a party of extortionists, he said, adding, "What stops Fadnavis from taking action against the extortionists and filing an FIR?"
Singh also wondered why the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had not withdrawn support to the BJP-led government yet.
He claimed that BJP was not doing well in any of the five states where Assembly elections are being held.
"Demonetisation has affected trade and industry and about 15 to 20 lakh people have been rendered jobless," he claimed.
More currency than was in circulation was deposited in the bank, he alleged. "Fake currency was deposited back and it is now legal tender," he said.
The Prime Minister was claiming the credit for schemes or initiatives of UPA, such as Aadhar, GST, MNREGA, etc., which he (Modi) had opposed while in opposition, Singh alleged.
He also said that Asaduddin Owaisi-led MIM was being used to communalise the Muslim vote for BJP's benefit. Two MIM MLAs had abstained during the trust vote in Maharashtra Assembly in 2014 to help the Fadnavis government, Singh alleged.
To a question on whether Congress had an understanding
with Shiv Sena to take on the BJP as the local Congress unit joined hands with Sena in Raigad zilla parishad polls and Uddhav Thackeray recently acknowledged the work done by UPA while targeting BJP, Singh said he was not aware of local situation, but Congress and Sena can never come together ideologically.
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam who accompanied Singh said the party had issued instructions to district units to align only with like-minded parties and not with BJP, Shiv Sena and MIM.
"In Raigad, BJP and NCP have joined hands, so the local unit of Congress has made an electoral understanding with Shiv Sena for some seats. State Congress chief Ashok Chavan is looking into the matter and will take a decision after he gets the detailed report," Nirupam said.
