BJP leaders to meet over Munde issue

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will meet here today in an attempt to bring around sulking Maharashtra leader Gopinath Munde amid intense speculation whether he would remain in the party.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will meet here today in an attempt to bring around sulking Maharashtra leader Gopinath Munde amid intense speculation whether he would remain in the party.

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BJP President Nitin Gadkari, senior leaders L K Advani, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Opposition leader in Maharashtra Assembly Eknath Khadse and state BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar are likely to attend the meeting.

Earlier, the BJP expressed hope that the crisis caused by Munde airing his grievances against the party would blow over after talks between him and the central leadership.

"Munde is a senior leader of the party. He is the deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha. He is coming over to Delhi to meet the central leadership. Whatever issues are there will be sorted out in the meeting," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.

Meanwhile, Munde said: "I will decide my future political course after today''s meeting. I will seek some time to decide on what they (BJP leaders) have to say. Whatever I have to say, I will say in the party platform."

Asked if the option of going to another party was open, Munde said "what options I have or I don''t have, that I will say only after speaking with party leadership."

"For last 17-18 days, I was listening to feelings and sentiments pains of workers. So far, I have not spoken in public why I boycotted rallies," he added.

On reports that he may join Sena, Munde said "I have not done anything that will be detrimental to the (Sena-BJP) alliance."

On his recent meetings with leaders of Congress, Sena and NCP, Munde said he was in political life for the last three decades so it is natural that he had contacts across political parties.

Munde has been sulking for over two weeks over his differences with Nitin Gadkari.