Never criticised PM Modi personally: Ashok Chavan

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan, a former Congress leader, said on Tuesday that he never criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally. Majority of the contribution will be from Maharashtra, Chavan said.I did not criticise prime minister Narendra Modi personally when Chavan was with Congress.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan, a former Congress leader, said on Tuesday that he never criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi ''personally''. Chavan spoke at a BJP rally in the central Maharashtra city for the first time after ending his decades-long association with the Congress last month and joining the saffron party. He thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was present on the dais, for admitting him into the Bharatiya Janata Party. ''When I joined the BJP, I was given Rajya Sabha (nomination) within 24 hours. This is the faith the party has shown in me. Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the slogan of 400-plus seats for NDA (in the Lok Sabha elections). Majority of the contribution will be from Maharashtra,'' Chavan said.

''I did not criticise prime minister Narendra Modi personally (when Chavan was with Congress). Because if something is good, we should call it good,'' the former Maharashtra chief minister said. Talking about the Maratha reservation issue, Chavan said, ''The state government has given 10 percent quota to the community. The issue of (grant of Kunbi certificates to) blood relatives will also be resolved by following the legal procedure.'' Speaking on the occasion, BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde said, ''Amit Shah should have the least trouble from Maharashtra (in the coming elections) so that he can pay more attention to other states.''