Munde’s Congress Move Fell Through After Singh’s ‘no’: Chavan

Mumbai: Veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday claimed that late BJP leader Gopinath Munde had decided to join the Congress during his tenure as chief minister, but the move was called off after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opposed inducting him into the government and appointing him a minister.

Senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, however, said Munde was an important national leader and that Mr Chavan’s claim did not befit his stature. He also pointed out that Munde was no longer alive to respond to the claim.

Munde, one of the BJP’s prominent OBC leaders in Maharashtra, was reportedly unhappy over being sidelined by the party’s then national president, Nitin Gadkari, who was his political rival in the state. Mr Gadkari was junior to Munde in Maharashtra politics. After Mr Gadkari took over as BJP president, Munde’s influence within the party was believed to have declined, fuelling speculation that he was considering a switch to the Congress.

The possibility of Munde joining the Congress had been discussed in Maharashtra political circles for a long time, but the move never materialised. Mr Chavan’s account has now brought the long-standing speculation back into focus.

Mr Chavan said secret meetings had taken place between Munde and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel while he was the chief minister. According to him, Munde had sought an assurance that he would be given a ministerial berth if he joined the Congress.

The former CM said he had told Munde that whether he could be given a Cabinet portfolio would have to be examined, but that he could be offered the position of Minister of State with independent charge.

“Everything was decided. He secretly came to New Delhi. Manikrao Thakare was president of Maharashtra Congress. The meeting was held at 2 am with Ahmed Patel. They sought permission from Madam (Sonia Gandhi),” Chavan said.

He said Munde, who was then the BJP’s deputy leader in the Opposition, was feeling politically uneasy. Chavan declined to disclose the details of what Munde had told him, but said the BJP leader had insisted on being made a minister, citing opposition from “two leaders from Nagpur” to his re-election.

Mr. Chavan, who had served as Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office before becoming Maharashtra chief minister, further claimed that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had approved Munde’s entry into the party. However, Mr Chavan said Mr Singh opposed the proposal to induct an elected Opposition MP into the Congress and make him a minister, following which the proposed move fell through.

“I had made a big mistake by not taking the Prime Minister’s permission. I had finalised the deal after taking permission from Sonia Gandhi. Dr Singh told me that if I had made a commitment to Munde. I realised my mistake and told him that I had taken permission from Madam instead of him,” Chavan said.

According to Mr Chavan, Mr Singh told him, “We cannot take a leader from the BJP into our party and make him a minister. It would amount to bribery. I will not do this.”

Mr Chavan was appointed Maharashtra chief minister in November 2010 following Ashok Chavan’s resignation in the wake of the alleged Adarsh housing scam controversy. He served as chief minister until September 2014.

Munde had a long association with the BJP and was one of the party’s most prominent leaders in Maharashtra. He was inducted into the Narendra Modi government as a Union minister in 2014 but died in a road accident in June that year, shortly after taking charge.