Have always toed party line: Thorat

The development comes days after Satyajeet, who won from the Nashik Graduates’ Constituency as an independent candidate, said he would continue to work as an independent legislator.

Mumbai: A day after his meeting with Maharashtra Congress In-Charge H K Patil, senior leader Balasaheb Thorat on Monday declared that he followed the Congress’ ideology and would continue to do so. He also said that he wanted Satyajeet Tambe, his nephew who was suspended by the party for “rebellion”, to come back to the party, while praising the latter’s hard work during the Maharashtra phase of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

Thorat was also upset with Patole for allegedly sabotaging Satyajeet’s candidature and ‘defaming’ the family. He expressed his unrest in a virtual meeting of supporters on February 5 and also resigned from his post of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, saying it would be difficult for him to work with Patole. It was after this that the Congress In-Charge met Thorat at his Worli residence to pacify him and assure him that all misunderstandings would be sorted out soon. (HT Photo)

The development comes days after Satyajeet, who won from the Nashik Graduates’ Constituency as an independent candidate, said he would continue to work as an independent legislator. Satyajeet had also blamed Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole for conspiring against him and his family by not giving him candidature for the council elections.

Thorat was also upset with Patole for allegedly sabotaging Satyajeet’s candidature and ‘defaming’ the family. He expressed his unrest in a virtual meeting of supporters on February 5 and also resigned from his post of Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, saying it would be difficult for him to work with Patole. It was after this that the Congress In-Charge met Thorat at his Worli residence to pacify him and assure him that all misunderstandings would be sorted out soon.

On Monday, the storm seemed to have blown over, as Thorat addressed a gathering of supporters in his home district Sangamner in Ahmednagar. “We are following Congress ideology and will continue to follow it,” he said. “There will be no compromise on this. We cannot follow any other ideology.

“Differences happen even among brothers, and we want to resolve them internally,” he continued. “We all have to work for improving the Congress in Maharashtra.”

Both Dr Sudhir Tambe, Thorat’s brother-in-law, and Tambe’s son Satyajeet shared the dais along with other members of the Thorat and Tambe families. Thorat remarked that Satyajeet’s team was left behind in the Congress even as he exited. “You don’t want to go out, and even the Congress doesn’t want you to leave, so you don’t have to worry,” said Thorat, indicating that he did not want Satyajeet to leave the party. He also stressed that Satyajeet worked really hard during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

The prominent Congress leader from North Maharashtra also praised Sudhir Tambe for working really hard as a three-term MLC from the Nashik Graduates’ Constituency. Tambe was also suspended from the party for six years.

Thorat will be attending the party’s three-day plenary session at Raipur from February 24. On Sunday, HK Patil had clearly said there was no question of accepting Thorat’s resignation as CLP leader.