Mumbai, August 16: Pankaja Munde, a minister in the Maharashtra government, has firmly dismissed claims made by Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan regarding her father, Gopinath Munde. She stated that her father was born into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and remained loyal to it throughout his life.
Chavan had alleged that the late BJP leader Gopinath Munde had explored the possibility of joining Congress at one point. In response, Pankaja Munde expressed strong disagreement, asserting that Chavan’s statements hold no significance today. She emphasized that her father was not the type of leader who would switch from one political party to another.
Speaking to reporters, Pankaja Munde said, “Prithviraj Chavan’s statement is now irrelevant. As far as I understand my father, he was born into this ‘lotus’—the BJP—and remained within it.”
She further clarified that Gopinath Munde was deeply connected to the BJP, and labeling him as someone who could be brought in from outside the party or who might switch allegiances is inappropriate.
Earlier, Chavan claimed that Gopinath Munde had sought a position in the central cabinet as a condition for joining Congress. He also mentioned that this matter had been discussed with then-Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who had given it theoretical approval.
Chavan stated that the proposal did not progress because then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was against bringing opposition party members into the ruling party. He claimed that Singh’s objections ultimately led to the abandonment of the plan.
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