This Article is From Jun 22, 2011

Am with BJP, says Gopinath Munde in Delhi. Any takers?

Am with BJP, says Gopinath Munde in Delhi. Any takers?
Mumbai: BJP leader Gopinath Munde has said, "I am with the party." The brief vote of confidence, shared after a meeting with Sushma Swaraj in Delhi, is unlikely to be taken at face value.

A very public rift with the BJP led to reports that Munde was engaged in active negotiations with the Congress. But in a turnaround just 24 hours later, Munde said he had discussed all issues with the BJP leadership and that reports of him joining the Congress were false.

There is certainly no shortage of drama in this narrative.  Mr Munde went public on Friday with allegations that the BJP has been ignoring his catalogue of grievances, most of which stem from a turf war in Maharashtra with his party president, Nitin Gadkari.

A series of weekend meetings had Mr Munde receiving emergency care from senior leaders in Delhi like LK Advani.  Mr Munde reportedly suggested that he be made Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra, and that the party make him its manager in the state ahead of the next election.  Both conditions were apparently refused.  

The BJP held another meeting in Mumbai yesterday with local politicians to discuss its Munde crisis.  Mr Munde himself was not invited.   

The Congress has added to the BJP's discomfort by refusing to rule out a possible invite for Mr Munde, who is a Backward Caste leader of considerable stature in Maharashtra. 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said his party will "wait and watch" Mr Munde's discussions with his party. The BJP believes that Mr Munde's clout is no longer as commanding as it was when he teamed with his brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan to expand the party's position in Maharashtra. Mr Mahajan was shot dead a few years ago.

While the BJP may believe that Mr Munde is a lesser version of his earlier political self, it doesn't want the Congress to benefit from Mr Munde's mass appeal, or his experience in local politics.  

Bal Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena is the BJP's ally in Maharashtra, said that if Mr Munde is indeed considering a defection to the Congress, he has a lot to answer for. "Where is your ideology? What have you told your supporters?" Mr Thackeray questioned Mr Munde via reporters. "You opposed the Congress your entire life. Now you want to join it!"

Exemplifying the conundrum the BJP faces, however, he then said, "If Munde wants to talk to me, my door is open."
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