Eknath Khadse: Those who joined politics 15 years ago now teaching us

Eknath Khadse

In a veiled attack on Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, his senior party colleague Eknath Khadse on Wednesday said that some people, who joined politics only 15 years ago, were now trying to teach politicians like him. He was speaking during a function at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra on the occasion of his 68th birthday. "When BJP-Shiv Sena contested the 2014 state assembly elections separately, our efforts helped the party (BJP) come close to absolute majority. However, those who came into politics in the last 15 years are now trying to teach us," he said.

"People certainly did not like the assertion of 'I will come back'," Khadse said. During the assembly elections held in October last year, Fadnavis, who was then the chief minister, had repeatedly used 'Mi punha yein' (I will come back) slogan as part of his poll campaign. The BJP and the Sena, which had fought the 2019 state
polls in alliance, had secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively. The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.

The Sena finally joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister. Khadse has been critical of Fadnavis ever since he was forced to resign as revenue minister of the erstwhile BJP government in 2016 over land grab and other allegations.

"Several party workers and leaders are disappointed and angry over the injustice meted out to me. I think their
feelings can explode any time," the prominent OBC leader said. I have been a staunch supporter and loyalist of the BJP since the last 40 years, Khadse added. "The party does not have enough numbers to stake claim
for government formation in Maharashtra. A small defection will not work, but an entire party should merge into the BJP.

Only then it is possible for our party to come to power in the state. I think it is a naive hope at this moment," he said.

Keep scrolling to read more news

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever