New Delhi: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said today that senior party leader Balasaheb Thorat has not sent any resignation letter. The reports of his resignation and a rift within the party are media creations masterminded by the BJP, made to "divert attention from the Congress victories in the Legislative Council elections".
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Mr Patole said, "He has sent no letter. There has been no such development. This is a media creation... The Congress has won in Nagpur and Amravati, which were BJP bastions. So the BJP is creating such news to divert attention from it".
Yesterday, sources close to Mr Thorat said he sent his resignation letter on February 2 to the Central leadership of the party, conveying that it was becoming difficult to work with Nana Patole.
In the letter to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr Thorat said he was not being consulted before decisions were taken, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting un-named aides.
Earlier today, Mr Thorat resigned from the post of leader of the Maharashtra Congress legislature party. His move came after the suspension of his relatives Sudhir Tambe and his son Satyajit Tambe.
Sudhir Tambe, named as the party's official candidate for the Legislative Council elections, had refused to contest. His son contested as an Independent and won.
Mr Thorat has apparently said he was insulted, statements were made against his family on the (Tambe) issue, and Mr Patole had a hand in that.
Mr Patole has denied the "dirty politics" allegations.
The Tambes, he said, have back-stabbed the party and the BJP is now claiming that Satyajit Tambe won with their support. The ruling alliance did not field a candidate against Mr Tambe. The action against them was taken after an investigation "ordered by the high command," he added.
Asked if there was any discussion with Mr Thorat on the candidature of Satyajit Tambe, Mr Patole said Tambe junior "had not sought a ticket in the first place".
"How can we give a ticket to him if he has not sought one. And in case the boy showed an interest, they should have told us. We could have made a quick change," Mr Patole told NDTV, declaring that "fights within the family" should be handled properly so it doesn't affect the party.
Asked if efforts were being made to reach out to Mr Thorat, Mr Patole said he has already tried and will call the senior leader tonight.
The rift within the state Congress comes shortly after Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Maharashtra. While the party had put up a united front at the time, the subsequent developments have played into the hands of the BJP, which has been claiming that Mr Gandhi would have done better to hold a "Congress Jodo" yatra.