The Pankaja Munde saga assumed a new dimension on Wednesday, as the senior side-lined BJP leader Eknath Khadse made a shocking allegation after meeting her that Pankaja and his daughter Rohini Khadse in the recent State Assembly polls were defeated due to a conspiracy hatched by some party leaders.
A day after the BJP’s former Minister Pankaja Munde said that she had no plans to quit the party, Khadse met the former at her Mumbai residence and discussed with the aggrieved party leader the circumstances leading to her putting out a Facebook on Sunday, in which she had indicated she would decide on her “future journey” on December 12.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Khadse said: “Some senior BJP leaders are responsible for the defeat of Pankaja and Rohini. There was a conspiracy behind the defeat of both Pankaja and Rohini. I know who were behind the defeat of both Pankaja and Rohini. I have complained to the BJP leadership. I am hopeful that action would be taken against the BJP leaders concerned”.
Khadse said that the defeat of Pankaja and Rohini was part of conspiracy to erode the influence of the OBC leadership in the State. “Because of the defeat of these two women leaders, the OBC leadership has weakened in the State. More than certain individuals who contributed to the defeat of the two leaders, the State BJP leadership that is to be blamed,” the senior BJP leader said.
While Pankaja was defeated by her cousin Dhananjay Munde in the October 21 State Assembly polls by a margin of 30.701 votes in their home constituency of Parli in Beed district of Marathwada, Rohini Khadse faced a defeat at the hands of an independent candidate Chandrakant Nimba Patil at Mukhtainagar constituency in Jalgaon district of north Maharashtra.
It may be recalled that Eknath Khande had filed nomination to contest the 2019 Assembly polls from Muktainagar constituency, but was denied ticket by the BJP leaders. The BJP instead gave party ticket to his daughter Rohini.
Khadse has been in the doghouse ever since June 4, 2016, when he resigned from his post as the State Revenue Minister over irregularities in the purchase of a plot of land at Bhosari in Pune district.
Meanwhile, Dhangar community leader and former MLA Prakash Shengde, who was a close aide of senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, said that it was essential for Pankaja to quit the BJP and join the Shiv Sena, so as to protect her own political identity in the state.
“Since she is an OBC leader, Pankaja is being weakened within the BJP. It is her own interest that she joins the Shiv Sena. The BJP had in the past an attempt to remove her father Gopinath Munde in a similar manner. However, the attempt had fallen flat after some leaders had thrown their behind Munde and opposed the efforts to show him the door. Similar attempt is being made to force Panaka out of the party,” Shendge said.
Though Pankaja has gone on record saying that she had no plans to quit the BJP, informed party sources insisted that she would make a big announcement on the occasion of her father Gopinath Munde’s birth anniversary on December 12.
Talking to media persons a day after her Sunday’s Facebook post and subsequent removal of the BJP’s name from her twitter handle sparked intense speculation that she might quit the BJP on December 12, Pankaja had said on Tuesday: “I had not put the Facebook post to indulge in pressure tactics within the party. I am a loyal party worker. Rebellion is not in my blood. My Facebook post has been misinterpreted. I am upset with misleading news reports. I am very committed to the BJP. Rumours are being spread to suggest that I am leaving the BJP”.
Pankaja had made the statement after former ministers Vinod Tawade, Babarao Lonikar and Ram Shinde met Pankaja at her Mumbai residence and requested her not to take any extreme step of quitting the BJP.
Earlier on Monday, State BJP president Chandrakant Patil had ruled out the possibility of Pankaja quitting the party. “There is absolute truth in the rumours that Pankajatai would quit the BJP. Many of us have spoken Pankajatai. I don’t think there is any possibility of her taking sh a step ( of quitting the BJP),” Patil had said.
Forty year-old Pankaja is the daughter late BJP leader Gopinath Munde. Pankaja had taken over the legacy of her father Gopinath Munde after the latter died in a road accident in the national capital on June 3, 2014.
Pankaja had created a major stir in the state political circles on Sunday through her Facebook post. While inviting her supporters for a meeting called on December 12 her late Munde’s birth anniversary, she had written: “Considering the changes that changes in political situation in the stat and also the responsibility before me, we need to decide our future course of action”.
“You are asking me time for meeting you. I will give you all time after eight to ten days. During the eight to ten days, let me introspect. I want to decide on what should I do next? Which way should I go?. What can I give to people? What’s my strength? What do people expect from me? After deliberating on all these questions, I will come before you on December 12,” Pankaja told her supporters through her Facebook post.
In her another pointer to fact that she moving away from the BJP, Pankaja on Monday removed the party’s name from her twitter handle @Pankajamunde... The only mention that is there on twitter handle is: “RT’s r not endorsements”.