EKNATH KHADSE rubbishes rumours about joining NCP

On the occasion of discussing an allparty felicitation of Dr Satish Patil, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator on Thursday, party spokesperson Nawab Malik while speaking to the media claimed that senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse may join NCP. However, Khadse has rubbished such claims and said he will not quit BJP.

Dr Patil will be felicitated by the hands of Ajit Pawar, legislative party leader of NCP at Parole in Jalgaon district, the constituency of Dr Patil. “The programme has been organised by all parties as Dr Patil has represented the constituency five times. Khadse has been invited as chief guest along with Gulabrao Patil, minister of state for animal husbandry and senior Shiv Sena leaders. Suresh Jain, former Shiv Sena minister will also be there,” said a Jalgaon-based NCP leader. He further said, “Girish Mahajan, minister for water resources, has not been invited. A T Patil, BJP MP and former Sena legislator Chimanrao Patil have not been invited.” “These leaders are political opponents of Dr Patil and hence, one of these leaders may have spread the rumours,” the source claimed.

Khadse said he was enjoying the entertainment over the NCP’s claim. “I am a hardcore loyalist of BJP. I built the party when nobody dared to work for it. How can I quit the party for which I have been working for last 40 years?” he reiterated. “Let NCP claim what they want, I will not take cognisance of it,” he said.