Maha Kumbh 'graft', SIR deletions & farm distress raised during Rahul Gandhi's Nashik visit

Mumbai: Alleged corruption in the Nashik Kumbh mela and land acquisition for the ambitious ₹1 lakh crore Shakti Peeth expressway may become part of national political discourse, with Maharashtra Congress leaders apprising Rahul Gandhi about these issues on Wednesday. Gandhi was in Nashik to address leaders at the conclusion of Maharashtra Congress' 10-day organisational training camp.

"There has been a lot of corruption in the infrastructure works taken up during the Nashik Kumbh mela. We spoke to him about how there is no project report for the Kumbh mela and people were not taken into confidence. The entire project seems to be to get contracts for some chosen contractors and get 40% commission," senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said after the meeting.

Also Read: Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027: Maharashtra government approves Rs 2,267 crore to acquire 191.21 acres of land


He said that leaders also apprised him about farmer distress and farmers' opposition to land acquisition for the Shakti Peeth Expressway. They also updated him on the SIR exercise in the state which has deleted 2 crore voters from the list. Gandhi on Tuesday took to social media and asked: "Maharashtra 2024: Suddenly 3.9 million voters were added between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. I said it then and I say it today. This was vote theft... And now in Maharashtra, 2.07 crore voters have been removed from the draft list - that's every fifth voter. Which list was correct," he asked.

"BJP and the 'Vote Theft Commission' keep changing their tactics and they will continue to do so - the goal remains just one: BJP's victory at any cost, and the end of India's democracy," he added.

Congress in Maharashtra has got a second wind after the recent students' protests and Gandhi's visit to Pune last month, where he highlighted issues pertaining to tribal students in the state which forced the state government to negotiate with tribal students to accept their demands.

Also Read: 'Holistic' preparations underway for Nashik Kumbh Mela but it's a race against time, say authorities

BJP carried out protests in Nashik against Rahul Gandhi, claiming Congress was against women's reservation. BJP spokesman Navnath Ban asked why Gandhi had not taken action against a Congress leader in whose ashram school in Gadchiroli three girl students died of snake bite last month.