Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis for cancelling his visit to Pandharpur on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' in view of a proposed protest by Maratha groups demanding reservation.
As part of a long-standing tradition, the chief minister every year on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' offers prayers at the temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal and Rukmini in Pandharpur, located around 400 km from here.
Today is 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' according to the Lunar calendar.
Singh said as the Maharashtra chief minister, Fadnavis should have gone to Pandharpu and attended the prayers.
Asserting that Fadnavis should have gone for the puja if he was so attached to Lord Vitthal, the Congress leader said, "Not a single minister has gone there. Why are these people so scared?"
After visiting Pandharpur, Singh told reporters, "Today the chief minister is facing the ire of the Maratha and Dhangar communities on the issue of reservation and he himself is responsible for this situation."
Informing reporters that the Maharashtra chief minister had given an assurance that the issue of reservation would be sorted out in a month, he said, "So it is natural that people from these communities are disappointed with the CM."
Replying to a query on whether the Congress was willing to play second fiddle in a coalition with regional parties to unseat the NDA government in next year's Lok Sabha polls, Singh said the 2019 elections would be fought on ideology and would not centre around a person.
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In a parliamentary democracy, it is not a person but an ideology which contests polls, the Congress leader claimed.
"For us, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is not important. The government formed in 2014 by Modi was based on the Sangh's ideology. This is the ideology which has been spreading hatred and violence in the country and creating rift between communities," he alleged.
"Today the country needs to decide whether we should go ahead with the ideologies of Gandhi and Nehru or that of Hedgewar, Golwalkar or Savarkar. It is on this narrative that the next general election will be fought," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.
About the no confidence motion in Parliament on July 20, Singh said there was a ground for it to be brought in.
"The TDP snapping ties with the BJP, the Shiv Sena remaining absent during the (no-trust) motion, BJP leaders like Arun Shourie, Ram Jethmalani and Yashwant Sinha criticising the government publicly, mob lynching, failure to create jobs, farmers' issues and other such issues make a ground for a no-confidence motion (against the government)," he said.
Modi, who generally tweets about small things, was silent on people getting lynched, the Congress leader claimed.
"The Ram Mandir issue is being raked up but in Modi's Varanasi (the prime minister's Lok Sabha seat), small temples are being razed and the BJP is not concerned," Singh alleged.
To a query on the new Congress Working Committee constituted by party chief Rahul Gandhi, the former CWC member said he was always of the view that young faces should be given an opportunity in the CWC.
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