Chavan worked to build his own image: Shinde

Chavan, who was the face of the Congress’s poll campaign, had taken over the reins in the state in November 2010, after his predecessor Ashok Chavan’s name cropped up in Mumbai’s Adarsh housing society scam.

Opting to wait for the poll results to be declared before lashing out at Prithviraj Chavan, Shinde further said “No sensible leader would have made the sort of remarks that Chavan made on the poll eve.”

In a newspaper interview published on October 14, Chavan was claimed to have said, had he taken action against his predecessors – (late) Vilasrao Deshmukh, Shinde and Ashok Chavan – in the Adarsh scam, the Congress party would have been decimated in Maharashtra.

While Prithviraj Chavan has since apologised and claimed that the remarks were made unofficially by him after the interview was published, Shinde appeared unconvinced. “His behaviour was not one that befits a leader,” he said.

Prithviraj Chavan had earlier admitted, “It was a mistake. I apologise for that.”

Shinde’s criticism comes even as Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had earlier played down the row over Chavan’s remarks. The interview has, however, miffed senior Congress leaders both in the state and in Delhi, with some even claiming that it had an impact on the poll outcome.

While Shinde has now opened a front against the former Chief Minister, (late) Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son Amit, who was a member in the Prithviraj Chavan government, averted the controversy. “I have not read the interview since I was busy with election campaigning,” Deshmukh told The Indian Express on October 18.

Meanwhile, the Congress party leaders in the state went into a huddle Monday evening to discuss the party’s further strategy.

Party’s state unit chief Manikrao Thakre, who had resigned on Sunday accepting moral responsibility for the defeat, has already said the Congress would play the role of a responsible opposition in the state.