‘Disgruntled’ BJP MP Patole resigns
NAGPUR: In a major setback to the BJP, hours before the first phase of polling in Gujarat, the party’s disgruntled MP from Bhandaragondia Nana Patole on Friday submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker.
In another letter to party chief Amit Shah, he resigned from the primary membership of the BJP. Patole, who has been in touch with Congress leaders for the past few weeks, announced he would share the dais with party vicepresident Rahul Gandhi at Ahmedabad in an election rally.
Patole hit out at the BJP’S “casual” approach towards farmers in the state and the “style of functioning” of PM Narendra Modi. Speaking to the media after resigning, Patole said he was feeling suffocated in the ruling party because it ditched farmers. He said he could not have betrayed farmers and labourers, who had a lot of hopes from him.
“There is huge unrest among people against the government and among ministers and MPS against the leadership. In the coming days, there will be more resignations by elected representatives of the BJP,” he said.
Patole, sources revealed, also met Gandhi a couple of days ago. He had also been in touch with Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan. Minutes after his resignation, All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash called on Patole. Prakash said he congratulated him for resigning in support of farmers. “Congress is his home and he has come back to the fold. The issues raised by him are close to all our leaders and to the Congress ideology. We did not discuss his induction into the party or assurance for his candidature. These are issues that can be taken care of at a later stage,” Prakash told HT.
When asked how the party was going to field him from Bhandaragondia seat, which is with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as part of a seat-sharing formula between the two parties, Prakash said the alliance did not exist any more. According to a state Congress leader, the resignation was planned by the party.
“We had planned it as a big blow when the Gujarat election campaigns were at their peak. Patole is now expected to attack Modi and Shah at Gandhi’s Ahmedabad rally,” he said.
Patole, who openly questioned Modi’s “style of functioning” and the “casual” approach of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis over farmers’ issues, supported another party rebel and former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who resorted to an agitation to highlight their plight in Akola.
BJP state president Raosaheb Danve said, “Although it is unfortunate, his resignation was expected. By resigning in the name of farmers, Patole is trying to gain sympathy.”