Munde offers his post to RPI

PUNE, February 10: Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde on Monday offered to relinquish his post and give it to the Republican Party of Indi...

PUNE, February 10: Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde on Monday offered to relinquish his post and give it to the Republican Party of India (RPI) leaders if they supported the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance in the Lok Sabha election.

The offer came during the election meeting held for the Baramati constituency at the temple town of Morgaon.

Making a reference to Congress leader Sharad Pawar’s statement that he would give the RPI the coveted post of the Deputy Chief Minister, Munde made a mockery of it and said that if the leaders of that party really wished to occupy the post, the four RPI candidates in the State should withdraw from the election fray and instead support the alliance candidates. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP helped Mayawati to become the chief minister, he said.

Story continues below this ad

In a speech that lasted over 45 minutes, Munde used some choicest phrases to assail the Congress and particularly targeted Sharad Pawar at the meeting which was attended by nearly 8,000 people. "Pawar has threatenedthat he will dismiss the alliance government in the State if the Congress came to power. Is this government a tobacco pouch which can be broken at any time.? The alliance government has nothing to worry as the Congress will not come to power."

"Kar nahi tyala dar kashala," (Why should we worry when we have not done anything wrong), Munde said, adding that Pawar could not do a single damage despite his best attempts in the last two and half years at the Centre. Munde also challenged Pawar to come and stay at Beed (Munde’s home constituency) to try and break the BJP-SS alliance. Indirectly referring Pawar as "Baramati’s joker," he asked the voters to send his packing to his home. "No leader can now save the Congress which is breaking even during the run-up to the elections," he said. Pawar himself is in a perplexed state in his own constituency as several of his supporters have joined the alliance, he claimed.

Challenging the Congress to announce the name of the Prime Minister, Munde claimed that theparty has not announced Sonia Gandhi’s name as it understands the feelings of the people of this country that they will not accept an alien person. This is a very different situation for the party which earlier projected its leaders as future prime ministers to garner votes. Referring to Pawar’s candidature for the prime ministerial berth, Munde quipped, "Baramati chya panyat dilli che netrutva karnyachi takad nahi," (Baramati does not offer the strength to rule at the Centre). The coalition government at the Centre, he said, was formed with the sole intention of keeping the BJP out of power.

Munde desperate, says Congress

Congress today termed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde’s offer to step down in lieu of Republican Party of India’s (RPI) support as “sheer desperation” of Shiv Sena-BJP government to break the Congress-led alliance in the State. Addressing reporters here in Mumbai, Congress spokesman Vasant Chavan claimed that Munde was hell-bent on scuttling Congress’alliance with RPI and Samajwadi Party in the State.