Munde to attend BJP's meet in Delhi tomorrow

Mumbai: BJP leaders are meeting in New Delhi on Saturday in an attempt to bring around a sulking Gopinath Munde amid intense speculation whether its key OBC leader from Maharashtra would remain in the party. Munde, who apparently wants a greater say in party's organisational affairs in Maharashtra, has been directed to be present at the meeting.

"I am upset and also are hundreds of party workers. For last 17-18 days, I was listening to feelings and sentiments of workers. So far, I have not spoken in public why I boycotted rallies," said Munde, who is BJP's deputy leader in Lok Sabha and a prominent OBC leader from Maharashtra.

"I am pained. It is indicative of the pain suffered by thousands of workers," Munde said.

Saturday's meeting is likely to be attended by BJP president Nitin Gadkari, senior leaders LK Advani, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Opposition leader in Maharashtra Assembly Eknath Khadse and state BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar.

Munde said he has decided to attend the meeting but indicated that he had no plans to join ally Shiv Sena and split the saffron alliance.

Ever since Munde supporter Yogesh Gogawale was sidelined for the post of Pune BJP president and Gadkari loyalist Vikas Mathkari was named instead, the OBC leader has been sulking, leading to speculation that he may be on the verge of leaving the party which he, with late brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan, helped grow in Maharashtra.

"I will decide my future political course after tomorrow's meeting. I will seek some time to decide on what they (BJP leaders) have to say. Whatever I have to say, I will say in the party platform," he said.

Amid reports that he is keen on being made BJP's in-charge of Maharashtra, Munde said he will not seek any such post from the party leadership. "In tomorrow's meeting, I will not ask for any post from leadership," he said.

On reports that he may join Sena, Munde said "I have not done anything that will be detrimental to the (Sena-BJP) alliance."

"After my boycott of the recent rallies involving BJP, Shiv Sena and RPI, several workers and leaders of other parties met me," he said. On his recent meetings with leaders of Congress, Sena and NCP, Munde said he was in political life for the last three decades so it is natural that he had contacts across political parties. "Those who met me tried to gauge my pains," he said.

"No one from Maharashtra or central BJP met me or tried to gauge the reason for my pain," he added. "I will attend tomorrow's meeting and put forth my pains in the meeting," he said.

"In the past, when I was unhappy, Sena chief Bal Thackeray called me and told me to stay in BJP," Munde recalled. Even now, I will go and attend a meeting if called by Sena chief. These relations are beyond politics," he added.

Meanwhile, Munde's supporters continued to throng his Worli residence in Mumbai on Friday.