Munde refuses to go to Delhi to meet BJP brass

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde, who tendered his resignation from the post of party general secretary and all other party posts, has refused to go to New Delhi to meet senior party leaders.

Instead, senior Maharashtra leaders Eknath Khadse and Pandurang Phundkar will be representing him before the party high command in New Delhi.

In an apparent damage control exercise, the BJP leadership had called Munde -- as also his detractor Nitin Gadkari -- to Delhi to sought out the differences in the state unit.

When asked if he was going to New Delhi to meet the party central leadership, Munde said he had conveyed his sentiments to party leaders in the state assembly, Eknath Khadse, and in the council, Pandurang Phundkar.

"I have full faith in their leadership and they will go on my behalf," he said, adding that he planned to attend the ongoing session in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.

Munde, who tendered his resignation on Sunday, also said he was in touch with senior party leaders, including party president Rajnath Singh.

Denying that he was being isolated in the party, Munde said his grievances were about the party's style of functioning and not over the appointment of any particular person as the head of BJP's Mumbai unit.

"You are wrong if you interpret that I am being isolated. I have lakhs of followers and party workers behind me," Munde said, adding, "My anger is against the manner in which the party was functioning and not against the appointment of Madhu Chavan (as BJP's Mumbai chapter chief),"

he said.

Munde denied he was trying to build pressure on the party by tendering his resignation.

"I have taken this decision after much thought," he said.

When contacted, Gadkari said he was scheduled to meet with party leaders in Delhi this evening.

"All I know is that Munde has also been called for the talks," Gadkari said.

When asked if his supporters had tendered their resignations as well, Munde said he was an ordinary party worker and had not asked anyone to resign.

Munde said he has told his supporters to go back to their constituencies.

"I am not leaving the BJP. I was and will always remain a loyal party worker," he said.

He also told them he would undertake a rally to meet them and hear their problems. Legislators -- Gopal Shetty, Girish Mahajan and Sardar Tara Singh -- and member of legislative council Asha Patel were prominent among those who called on Munde on Monday.

Shetty said he met Munde as he was the leader. However, senior party leaders rejected Munde's charge that the party was not functioning in a democratic manner.

"The name of Madhu Chavan was finalised by three veteran party leaders in consultation with about 70 to 80 office bearers and workers from Mumbai," a senior leader said.

The party leaders also said that Munde, by his resignation, was only trying to assert himself in the party.

Additional Reportage: Press Trust of India