BJP plans meeting sans Munde to resolve impasse

Toughening its stand against Munde's demands, the saffron party's central leadership has instructed MLAs, MPs and office bearers of the state unit to brainstorm and thrash out ways to break the deadlock

BJP plans meeting sans Munde to resolve impasse

After a series of meetings held to placate its senior leader Gopinath Munde failed to end the ongoing political crisis within BJP ranks, the party's central leadership has instructed the state unit to hold a meeting in Munde's absence, where MLAs, MPs and office bearers would brainstorm for possible ways of breaking out of the stalemate.

Even as the rift between Gadkari and Munde deepens, BJP leaders have denied reports of the latter defecting to the Congress

The meeting will be held at the party headquarters at Nariman Point and will see senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu in attendance. In theu00a0 course of the meeting, prominent part members will put their heads together to discuss the renegade Munde's recent demands to be made the leader of the party's state unit.

The meeting is extremely significant, coming hot on the heels of reports that central leaders of the party have rebuffed Munde's demand to be appointed as the leader of the state's BJP organ.

Munde had, in fact, gone so far as to express eagerness to resign from the Lok Sabha in order to don the mantle of leader of the party's state unit.

Munde is also believed to have told party leaders that his daughter Pankaja would, at his behest, vacate the Parali assembly seat for him, to pave the way for his election as an MLA in the state.

In return, he would vacate his seat in the Beed constituency, for which his daughter would contest.

Needless to say, Munde's plans have incurred the strong disapproval of the party's central leadership. His close associates, however, denied reports that he would defect from the BJP and join the Congress.

In the meantime, the BJP seems to have put a firm lid on plans of further dialogue with the disgruntled leader. No meeting was held yesterday with the leader, even though Munde was available for talks at the national capital.

Instead, the state unit was directed to call a meeting of the party to resolve the issue. This has been perceived as a slight by the leader's supporters, who claim that the party's decision to exclude him from talks is a mark of disrespect towards the senior leader.

Party sources say that the BJP's central leadership has unequivocally expressed its unwillingness to oust Eknath Khadse from the post of Leader of the Opposition, and supplant him with the ambitious Munde.

20
The number of years Gopinath Munde has been associated with the BJP