Nagpur: Newly appointed Nagpur City Congress Committee president Prafulla Gudadhe on Saturday took charge of the post and said his first initiative would be to take up the cause of street vendors facing action from Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Addressing Congress workers during the installation ceremony at Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall, Gudadhe said Nagpur transformed from the ‘Orange City’ into a ‘drug city’ with rising crime, and took aim at BJP’s hold over the city. In a pointed political remark, Gudadhe said that although his father was the first-ever BJP MLA from Nagpur, it was now his responsibility to ‘bring down the shutters of the BJP office.’ Gudadhe credited former MP Gev Awari for shaping his political journey, saying Awari foresaw corruption within the BJP and gave him a key role in the Congress in the early 2000s. ‘I will remain indebted to him for life,’ he said. Highlighting the party’s internal democracy, Gudadhe said Congress allowed freedom to express opinions openly, unlike the BJP. He alleged that since 2014, the Constitution, democracy and citizens have been under strain. He appealed to the municipal commissioner to understand hardships of small vendors, especially in extreme heat, and assured the Congress office in Nagpur would remain open to all. He also urged party workers to use social media to help people rather than for gaining publicity. Gudadhe thanked AICC gen secretary Avinash Pandey, MPCC president Harshvardhan Sapkal, Leela Tai Chitale and Congress functionaries present, and called for unity within the unit. (With inputs from Bhavya Badjate)
