Former BJP leader Nana Patole resigned from the Lok Sabha recently. Image posted on Twitter by @INCIndia
Nana Patole, who recently resigned from Lok Sabha and the BJP, shared stage with Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi on Monday at election rally in Gandhinagar and fulminated against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming he "abused" senior MPs who had once gone to meet him.
Addressing the rally, Mr Patole said he decided to part ways with the BJP because PM Modi failed to address the issues of farmers and went back on his promise to implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
The former MP from Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondia constituency also alleged that PM Modi snubbed him and abused elderly MPs who once went to meet him at his residence.
"It has been more than three years since the Modi government has been at the Centre. Modiji had assured that he will implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, but the first thing he did was to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying he will not accept the recommendations, which amounts to betrayal of farmers," Mr Patole said.
There has been a rise in incidents of farmer suicide, he alleged.
"Once Modiji called a meeting of MPs from different states at his residence before the winter session of Parliament. When some elderly MPs rose to ask him questions, he abused them and asked them to sit down. He also shouted at me when I asked him about a separate ministry for OBCs," he claimed.
Mr Patole accused PM Modi of playing the OBC card for political gains. He alleged the prime minister was playing with the future of children of OBC, SC and ST categories by stopping their scholarships.
Mr Patole, who had defeated NCP stalwart Praful Patel in the last Lok Sabha poll, claimed notes ban was the biggest instance of "corruption."