'Won't quit BJP', says Pankaja Munde; to hold fast on January 27

BJP leader Pankaja Munde at the rally. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde said she will not quit the party, and hold a fast in Aurangabad on January 27 to address the pending issues in the Marathwada region.

"This [the fast] will be not against any party or individuals. It will be a symbolic hunger strike to attract the attention of the leadership towards the issue of Marathwada," Munde said at the rally

She was addressing a rally in Beed on the occasion of the birth anniversary of her late father Gopinath
Munde. She added that BJP was free to decide on her continuance in the party.

She also said she will tour Maharashra and work for the organisation named after Gopinath Munde.

In her speech, Pankaja made a veiled reference to insinuations that she lost the Parli seat to her cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde because some BJP leaders (read Devendra Fadnavis) didn't want her to win the seat, PTI reported. She also skipped the state BJP core committee meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Pankaja has been organising this annual event for last five years but this year the rally had generated a lot of curiosity in the political circles, amid speculation that she was quitting the BJP after her defeat in the October 21 Assembly polls. Rumours in politiocal circles had increased after she removed 'BJP' from her Twitter bio.

(With inputs from agencies)

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