Gadkari avoids Munde, BJP stalemate continues

BJP President authorises senior leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar to deal with a disgruntled Munde, who is demanding a greater say in Maharashtra affairs The ongoing crisis in the BJP seems to press on, with party chief Nitin Gadkari distancing himself from the controversy stirred by veteran leader Gopinath Munde, said to be contemplating a split from the saffron party.Preferring not to attend the meeting of top leaders called last night in New Delhi to sort the issues with Munde, Gadkari authorised senior leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Anantha Kumar to continue dialogue with the revolting party vice-president.Gadkari and Munde at a Mafia Sarkar Hatao rally in MarchAround 9.30 pm yesterday, soon after the Naidu-Munde meeting concluded, Munde left for Maharashtra Sadan, as Gadkari began his discussions with Naidu at the latter's home in Delhi. Munde's supporters were furious over Gadkari's decision to skip meetings in Munde's presence.The party still hoped to hammer out a solution late in the night, said a BJP leader from Maharashtra, who is closely watching the developments.It is now clear that both Gadkari and Munde have locked themselves in a battle of supremacy to control affairs in the state's BJP unit.According to sources from the party, Munde is sticking to his demand that he should be announced as the leader authorised to take all the decisions pertaining to state affairs, including the appointment of his men to key posts in the state unit.Tug-of-warWhen Munde made this demand with senior party leaders in Delhi, he was reminded that Eknath Khadse, in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, and Pandurang Phundkar, Leader of the Opposition in the State Council, were leading the party, along with Sudhir Mungantiwar, the state BJP president.Even though Munde has been invited to Delhi to discuss his issues with the senior leadership of the party, Gadkari has been avoiding any direct confrontation with him by skipping the meetings. The party chief, along with his family members, was at Badrinath on Saturday, and returned to the national capital last evening.But he was still in no mood to meet Munde and delegated the task of placating Munde to Naidu and Kumar, the BJP chief's close supporters said.Not many optionsAll things said, the BJP's central leadership is deeply hurt over Munde's attempts to align with the either the Congress-NCP or the Shiv Sena. But in a relief to the party, not many doors are open for the dissenting leader.While Munde's friends from the Congress advised him that he should be happy working as an old hand in the BJP instead of as a mere member in the Congress, his NCP associates told him that there were far lesser opportunities for him in the party of Pawars.As for the Sena, it could not consider Munde's proposal for fear of antagonising the BJP and threatening its alliance with the party.When contacted, a senior party leader from Delhi said, Efforts are on to pacify Munde as the party still wants to retain him. He added that the party did not want to jeopardise its future in the wake of the Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI alliance.Asked about the demand made by Munde, the leader said it could be due to the grand alliance's chance to win the next general elections in Maharashtra.Munde's desire to lead the state has never been a secret, and in the changed scenario, he could fulfil his dream by leading the state affairs.