NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, 22 April 2008 — Top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders went into emergency talks here yesterday to discuss the resignation of senior Maharashtra leader Gopinath Munde.
Munde resigned his party posts on Sunday over the appointment of key party functionaries. He was apparently angered by the appointment of Madhu Chavan, member of the Legislative Council, as head of party’s Mumbai unit. Chavan is considered close to Nitin Gadkari, Munde’s key detractor. Munde’s resignation has brought the war between him and Gadkari to the fore.
The BJP leaders were taken aback by the crisis in the party but put a brave face. “All issues will be resolved soon through dialogue,” BJP President Rajnath Singh said after yesterday’s meeting, which was attended by Lal Krishna Advani, Venkaiah Naidu and other top leaders.
The party summoned both Gadkari and Munde to Delhi, but Singh sought to play down the gravity of the crisis, saying: “They keep coming to Delhi often.”
The party central leadership rejected Munde’s resignation and authorized Singh to talk to Munde and resolve the crisis.
“I have not received the resignation letter yet. Anyway, it will not be accepted. The issue will be sorted out,” Singh asserted. “Both Nitin Gadkari and Gopinath Munde are on the next flight to Delhi. The issue will be resolved.
Party spokesman Arun Jaitley said: “This is an internal party matter. We have spoken to Munde and will sort out the issue soon. However, there is no question of accepting his resignation.”
But Munde was not in conciliatory mood. He said he would not respond to the summons. Instead, BJP legislators Eknath Khadse and Pandurang Phundkar would represent him. “I have full faith in their leadership,” Munde said. “I want to function as a common party worker now. Loyalists cannot be ill-treated or taken for granted.” He, however, would attend the ongoing session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Saying that he was in constant touch with senior party leaders since Sunday, Munde denied he was being isolated in the party. “You are wrong if you interpret that I am being isolated. I have lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of followers and party workers behind me,” he said. His point is partly proved by the fact that 16 BJP members of the Pune Corporation have sent in their resignation to party President Singh expressing their solidarity with Munde.
With Maharashtra assembly elections just a year away, such political fireworks are likely to keep party leaders engaged for quite a while. Political observers say Munde has taken this step to assert himself in the party. He has not resigned from the BJP.
“I am not leaving the BJP. I was and will always remain a loyal party worker,” Munde said. “I don’t want anyone to be removed. I only want the party’s decisions-making process to improve. It’s been this way for the last year and a half,” Munde said.
