Vadettiwar, Dhanorkar attack ruling side at Chandrapur rally for MVA graduates' poll candidate Wanjari

The political temperature is rising ahead of the Nagpur graduates' constituency election. A meeting was held at the Jijau auditorium in Chandrapur to campaign for Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate Adv. Abhijit Wanjari. Voting is on October 23.

At the meeting, Congress Legislature Party leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar questioned the way the ruling side functions. He said the fight was not limited to the election. According to Wadettiwar, it is a fight to bring out the anger that has built up among the people against the arbitrariness of those in power. Chandrapur MP Pratibha Dhanorkar alleged that the ruling side was offering voters all kinds of inducements.

On the stage were Ms Dhanorkar, Teachers' constituency MLA Sudhakar Adbale, Chandrapur city district president Shiva Rao, and Congress leaders Arif Baig, Vinayak Bangade, Subhash Gaur, Anil Shinde, Vinod Dattatraya, Arun Dhote, Rajesh Adur, Sachin Katyal, Chanda Wairagade and Kunda Jenekar.

Wadettiwar said the leaders spoke on farmers' issues, graduate voters' issues, protecting democratic values, criticism of the ruling side's policies and the importance of the coming election. The meeting was an attempt to take the Maha Vikas Aghadi's position to graduate voters. He said the voice of the people matters most in a democracy.

Criticising the ruling side, Wadettiwar said power should be used for the good of the people, but an attempt is being made to use it to suppress the voices of opponents. He said Wanjari is among the five best legislators raising the issues of graduates, the unemployed and ordinary people, and that his promptness in the House is worth a speech. Wadettiwar also said the ruling side invokes the name of Ram while putting even Ravana to shame.

"This is a fight of anger against dictatorial rulers," Wadettiwar said, giving the graduates' election a larger political context. His position was that it is essential to raise the voice on people's issues, demand answers on government policies and preserve the value of dissenting views in a democracy.

He also underlined that graduate voters are an educated, aware section with an understanding of social issues. In his view, the election should therefore discuss education, employment, inflation and the concerns of ordinary people.

In her speech, Ms Dhanorkar criticised the ruling side's conduct in the election. She alleged that voters were being offered different inducements. She said elections are an important part of the democratic process and that voters should judge a candidate's stand, record and commitment to people's issues without falling for any inducement.

Ms Dhanorkar said voters' trust is the foundation of democracy, so voters' questions and expectations must be given importance in the election. Aghadi leaders each set out their positions at the meeting. The campaign is stressing effective raising of graduates' issues, drawing attention to challenges in the education sector and protecting democratic values.