A verbal war erupted between Congress leader Muzaffar Hussain and NCP leader and Maharashtra Housing Development Minister Jitendra Awhad after latter inaugurated minority cell office in former’s stronghold Naya Nagar and addressed sarcastically to him as ‘Sultan e Azam’ (King of the Universe) of the small minority pocket on Sunday.
Awhad, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Housing Development minister, alleged that though the voters are using their franchise to make sure his candidates win in this minority area, however, their condition had not changed in many years.
Hit back
On Monday, Hussain hit back, saying he is very ‘adna’ (small) man and ‘Sultan e Hind’ Khawaja Moinuddin Chisty’s blessings made me what I am today.
He further said, “He(Awhad) is talking about Naya Nagar, if you want to see the worst condition of the minorities then visit Mumbra, where voters have shown ‘bharosa’ on him.”
However, Awhad cleared that he is not targeting his party alliance Shiv Sena and Congress but the individuals responsible in Mira-Bhayandar.
Awhad while addressing his party workers after inaugurating five minority cell offices in Naya Nagar, said: “There are 12 seats on which minority voters are influential and all have Congress seating Corporators. We have to take all the 12 seats in our side in upcoming elections.”
Replying on this former Working President of Grand Old Party said, “Awhad has forget that in last Assembly elections, I manage to get 56K votes here, whereas minority votes are just 6 to 8 per cent. While NCP finished at zero in last municipal election in Mira-Bhayandar.”
Awhad, whose party is a key constituent in the state’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government, has repeatedly attacked on former MLC and claimed that he was unfairly with minority and decides to whom he has to meet and to not after seeing the ‘chitti’ (torned paper) send by the peon. That’s the reason, many frustrated and left the party in which present NCP president Ankush Malusare is one of them.
On this Mr Hussain reply, “If he is calling me Sultan e Azam then one has to carry the king’s attitude. Thank God, I am not the Bunty and Babli. Malusare was Congress president when I fought the 2019 Assembly election from 145 Mira Bhayandar but to my surprise, Congress received 10 to 12 votes from his ward.”
NCP called Mr. Hussain claim as a clear lies and defended it’s president by sharing a spreadsheet of assembly election which shows Congress party received about 1800 votes from Malusare’s home ward.
Awhad also targeted former BJP MLA
Targeting, former BJP MLA Narendra Mehta, Awhad said, “People have given votes and handed over the city to him for development. However, his development happened whereas the twin city is where it was in 2014.”
Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation election is due in August next year. However, it seems that the political churning has started in Mira-Bhayandar. Last week, BJP state Chief Chandrakant Dada Patil has visited the area and hold the party worker’s conclave. He also tried to patch up the rift between the two groups of BJP but it went in vain.
