NCP plans ‘fitting reply’ to Gopinath Munde’s ‘Thieves of Baramati’ comment

BEED: Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde has been trying everything he could to keep the Beed seat. But the rival Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), angered by his mocking statements against its leaders, seems to be is determined to wrest it from him.

Stung by Munde’s comments about “the two thieves of Baramati”, NCP chief Sharad Pawar held four meetings in the past month alone in Beed, while nephew Ajit Pawar is scheduled to hold rallies there. Other NCP ministers are also camping here.

“It’s as if the entire Maharashra Cabinet has set up camp here trying to campaign against me,” said Munde, laughing. The NCP has fielded a tough candidate in Beed, party MLA from Ashti, Suresh Dhas – ironically a former protégé of Munde. Besides his good reputation, Dhas is a Maratha which the NCP hopes will work in its favour.

There are 16 lakh voters in Beed, of which six lakh are Marathas while around three lakh are from the OBC Vanjari community to which Munde belongs. It is this caste equation that the NCP is trying to exploit. “All Maratha votes will come to us. Some will even come from the Vanjari community because Munde has not honoured the promises he made for Beed in the last elections,” said Dhas.

Dhas admits that the NCP leadership’s focus on defeating Munde is because of its “anger” over his comments. “He has instigated it by calling Sharad Pawar and Ajit corrupt. He is in the habit of making baseless statements,” said Dhas. “Obviously it has angered the party. We are going to give him a fitting reply,” he added.