Congress hits out at Dhangekar after exit, calls him opportunist

Welcoming his departure, Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde said, “Ravindra Dhangekar never followed the party line or used the Congress flag in his agitations. The party gave him several opportunities, but he did little in return.”

Dhangekar had been with the Congress for seven years and was elected as a corporator and later as an MLA on the party’s ticket. However, Shinde alleged that he had a history of switching parties for political gains.

“He has never been loyal to any party. He joined Congress seven years ago and was given four electoral opportunities—as a candidate in municipal elections, twice for the assembly, and once for the Lok Sabha—while many loyal workers were sidelined. Yet, he chose to walk away,” Shinde said.

He further claimed that despite leading multiple agitations, Dhangekar never used the party’s symbol or flag and often distanced himself from Congress’s official stance.

“We raised these concerns with our state leadership several times, but the party still gave him chances. Now, he has left, betraying loyal party workers,” he added.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dhangekar criticised BJP workers for allegedly filing police cases against him over a land purchase.

“I bought the land through a legal process, yet BJP workers falsely claimed it belonged to the Waqf Board. What’s interesting is that not a single Muslim objected, but those who constantly talk about Hindutva opposed a Hindu purchasing Waqf land,” Dhangekar said.

He alleged that certain BJP leaders were behind these cases but refrained from attacking the entire party. “BJP is our alliance partner. Not all members are bad, but some need to be ignored,” he added.