The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) need not accord too much importance to disaffected leader Pankaja Munde’s remarks against the party leadership in the State, BJP MP Sanjay Kakade said here on Friday.
On Thursday, Ms. Munde held a ‘show of strength’ on the birth anniversary of her father, Gopinath Munde, in Beed district.
Hitting out at Ms. Munde for not gracefully accepting her defeat in the Assembly polls, Mr. Kakade said the disgruntled remarks of a person who could not manage her constituency (Parli) and was defeated by more than 30,000 votes could not harm the party’s interests.
“Despite holding two important portfolios [Rural and Woman and Child Development] and having the late Gopinath Munde’s legacy, she could not manage her own constituency… she was given a lot of freedom by the BJP. So, her statement that ‘the party can take me out if it so wants’ is not in good taste,” Mr. Kakade said.
He said Ms. Munde’s statements were hurtful to a true BJP worker who was an adherent of her father. “Pankaja says she will reach out to the masses by working through the Gopinath Munde trust and resolve problems like water shortage in Marathwada. But what was she doing all this while in spite of being a Cabinet minister?” he asked. He said if Ms. Munde had worked harder for the uplift of the Marathwada, she would not have suffered a debacle at the polls.
“A significant number of MLAs are from the backward community… so, it is fallacious to say OBC leaders like Ms. Munde and Eknath Khadse are being slighted by the party leadership,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
Misal fires back
In a riposte to Mr. Kakade’s remarks, Pune BJP chief Madhuri Misal, known for her affinity with Ms. Munde, told reporters the MP’s remarks were his opinions and not sanctioned by the party.
Ms. Misal questioned Mr. Kakade’s intent, wondering if any outside force was attempting to divide the BJP. “Pankaja has worked a lot for the party. I don’t think too much weight ought to be given to Mr. Kakade’s remarks against her. Some people have a penchant for speaking before the media,” said Ms. Misal, who was at Ms. Munde’s rally on Thursday.
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