Munde now plans to go on Maharashtra tour

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A day after committing to remain in the party, Bharatiya Janata Party's senior leader Gopinath Munde on Thursday announced plans to undertake a tour of Maharashtra “to ascertain the views of party workers”.

“I shall soon undertake a state-wide tour to meet and ascertain the view of ordinary party workers on various issues concerning the organisation,” Munde told media persons soon after arriving here from New Delhi in the afternoon. However, he did not specify when the tour would start, who would accompany him or the aspects on which he would confabulate with party activists.

Without taking any names, the leader also hit out at people who allegedly sought to malign his image in the past one month. “The true face of the people who attempted to tarnish my image has been exposed before all.”

Munde emphasised that he has been with the BJP since the past four decades, continues to be a party member and would always remain in it. “All these rumours of my leaving the party are false and mischievous. I have never met (Congress leader) Ahmed Patel in my life,” he asserted.

“I have met (Maharashtra) chief minister Prithviraj Chavan but not in context of the reasons. Nor have I met (state Congress chief) Manikrao Thakre,” he added. The leader said he had never travelled with Chavan or Thakre on any private flight. “Whenever I travel to and from New Delhi, it is only by commercial flights.”

However, he expressed satisfaction over his discussions with top BJP leaders like L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and others over the past few days in the national capital. Munde added that he had not made any demands to the central leaders but merely apprised them with the issues concerning the party workers. “I never had any issues or demands to make from the party leadership. I am only concerned about the problems of the party activists,” he claimed.

Munde pointed out that he had contributed to build up the state BJP by shedding his blood, sweat and tears for it, “so there is no question of my joining the Congress”. Earlier, when he arrived at the Mumbai airport, the leader got a tumultuous welcome from hundreds of party activists who had gathered to receive him.