Maharashtra Congress workers question leaders

MUMBAI: It was a routine meeting in Nashik, last month, where Congress leaders like CM Prithviraj Chavan and others spoke on how the government's different schemes have benefitted people and asked Congress workers to spread the message to voters.

But when Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat followed up on Chavan's speech listing the work done, a local Congress worker got up and asked: "You might have done a lot for many other groups, but what have you done for the average Congress worker? Why should we go spreading your message among the people, election after election, when we haven't gotten anything?"

The question saw a wave of applause by Congress workers and red faces on those seated at the dais. They included state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash, apart from Chavan and Thorat. As Congress begins a difficult campaign in Maharashtra to thwart a challenge from the Sena-BJP, it not just an impatient voter the party faces. It is greeted by angry and disillusioned Congress workers too.

"Workers are angry because each election he is being told to work for the party and gets noting in return. He doesn't get tickets for zilla parishad elections, he doesn’t get to be the corporator, or MLA. The big leaders corner all these seats and leave the ordinary worker in the lurch," said a Congress leader present at the Nashik function.

The outburst, however, has not had any affect on leaders, who are busy pushing their kith and kin into the political arena ignoring other aspirants in the party: Thakre wants his son Rahul to be given a ticket from Yavatmal; Congress campaign committee chief Narayan Rane wants his younger son Nitesh to be given a seat from Konkan; Thorat wants one of his nephews to get a ticket from Ahmednagar; Transport minister Madhukar Chavan wants his son to replace him as the party candidate from Tuljapur and Shivajirao Deshmukh wants his son to contest from Shirala.