The fight within the BJP: All eyes on Pankaja Munde’s rally today
Pankaja Munde has been missing from the party’s core committee as well as division-level meetings and admitted as much on Wednesday, saying no important decisions were going to be taken at these meetings.
In the backdrop of the internal rumblings within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its failure to form the government in Maharashtra, all eyes are on the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister and daughter of late Gopinath Munde, Pankaja, as she holds a mega rally in Beed, Marathwada on Thursday.
The rally held on the occasion of Munde’s birth anniversary is being seen as a platform of dissenting leaders within the BJP, with sidelined leaders like Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde, Prakash Mehta all expected to be present on the occasion.
Pankaja’s address to her followers is being watched by those within the party and those outside it. While she is not going to unfurl a flag of rebellion, she is expected to make some of her unhappiness about her electoral defeat as well as certain political developments known to her followers as well as her party leaders.
A day before the rally, however, she denied that she was upset with the party or the rally was a pressure tactic to seek some post from the party leadership. She also ruled out leaving the BJP, slamming the media for misinterpreting the Facebook post written by her to her followers.
“I am not so insecure…I also cannot be sidelined in my party,” she said, in an interview to a Marathi local news channel, ABP Majha.
She said, “I have accepted my defeat. But, it has to be said that despite my party being in power, my opponent could not be weakened. I told my party seniors that this [Parli assembly constituency] was the toughest fight in Maharashtra…There has been no discussion about my electoral loss. If my party seniors ask me about it, I can discuss more openly what happened.”
Pankaja has been missing from the party’s core committee as well as division-level meetings and admitted as much on Wednesday, saying no important decisions were going to be taken at these meetings.
She also indicated her unhappiness with the way her party tried to form government with the help of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar. “Personally, I feel I cannot now criticize the Sena-NCP-Congress for forming the government.”
Munde lost the state Assembly polls last month to her cousin and rival Dhananjay Munde, who is seen to be close to former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Those close to her as well as Khadse had said that her electoral defeat had been orchestrated by some within the party.
The defeat of Munde and sidelining of leaders like Khadse, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Vinod Tawde has led to a buzz that Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders are being sidelined by the BJP.
Munde said this could be a perception as several OBC leaders like her, former minister Ram Shinde, Khadse’s daughter Rohini had lost the polls.
State party president Chandrakant Patil said, “The unhappiness of BJP leaders like Khadse and Munde are stories made up by the media. These leaders are not going to leave the BJP. Pankaja has been working of the party from the time she was growing up as child. Same goes for Khadse, who has worked shoulder to shoulder with Gopinath Munde.’’
Patil said as the party president he will be present for the rally.
“A lot will be unveiled at the rally depending on what Pankaja says. However, it is clear there is a dissent within the state BJP and it is in party’s favour to resolve this. This dissent is against both Fadnavis leadership as well as the party’s top leadership. She will not leave the party, the same cannot be said for Khadse,” said political analyst Surendra Jondhale.