Munde, Gadkari split out in the open

The differences between BJP's Maharashtra unit President Nitin Gadkari and leader in the Assembly Gopinath Munde came out in the open during a recent meeting of the party's Mumbai unit. Both took diametrically opposite views on the party's strength in the state.

While Gadkari asked the party workers to work hard, saying, "During the last elections, our party was relegated to the fourth place," Munde disagreed.

"It is a fact that the party slumped to the fourth position in the last elections, but in the recent times, there has been a change, and many new persons and social groups are joining the party. I am confident the party will emerge strong after the local elections," Munde said.

While everyone in the state unit knows that Gadkari and Munde don't share a good rapport, this is the first time that their differences have come in front of the party's second- and third-rung leaders. Sources say this is going to harm the party by encouraging groupism.

Many party watchers said Munde's speech was nothing but posturing and all he wanted was to convey a message to the central leadership that everything was fine in the state unit and that he should be made the overall incharge.

They said Gadkari's stand, asking the workers to agitate over public issues and to carry out some old BJP-style door-to-door campaigning, was more realistic.

Gadkari had called the meeting as part of preparations for the municipal and zila parishad elections. The meeting was attended by the party's local MLAs, district unit presidents and the state unit office-bearers.