Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal Hits Back At Amit Shah’s ‘Binoculars’ Remark, Calls BJP’s New Office Product Of Corruption

Jalna: Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal strongly hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently claimed that the Opposition in Maharashtra would be “so reduced that it would not be visible even through binoculars.”

On October 26, Shah made the remarks while laying the foundation stone for the BJP’s new state headquarters near Churchgate station in Mumbai, calling it a “temple of ideology”. Responding sharply, Sapkal accused the BJP of constructing its new office through corrupt practices.

Sapkal was speaking at a Congress workers’ meeting at Kalyanrao Ghugre Stadium on Wednesday, where NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) city president Abdul Rashid Pahilwan and his supporters formally joined the Congress.

“The time ahead belongs to the Congress. People are joining us across Maharashtra, in Beed, Nanded, and Jalna, in large numbers,” Sapkal said. He asserted that “people are joining the Congress to save democracy” and expressed confidence that the party would have its own mayor in the upcoming Jalna civic elections.

Taking a dig at former Congress MLA Kailash Gorantyal, who defected to the BJP, Sapkal described him as a “sleeper cell of the BJP” within the Congress. “I apologise to the people that we had to bear him as a BJP man in our party,” he said.

Congress MP Dr Kalyan Kale also addressed the gathering, targeting former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve for what he termed “hollow talk of development” in the Jalna constituency during his tenure. Kale alleged that Danve took contracts related to the supply of rations, midday meals, and food distribution for workers. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Kale defeated the five-time MP Danve from the Jalna constituency.

District Congress president Rajabhau Deshmukh, state vice presidents Rajendra Rakh and Kalyan Dale, district in-charge Ashok Patil Nilegaonkar, and Sanjay Mutha also spoke on the occasion.

The proceedings were conducted by Azim Rahi and Congress City Block President Atique Khan.

Those present included District Minority Cell president Badar Chaus, Congress Seva Dal president Shaikh Ibrahim, Bhausaheb Gore, Akbar Khan, Abdul Rauf Parsuwale, and others.

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