I will not leave BJP, says Pankaja Munde

After fortnight-long speculations about her quitting the party, senior BJP leader Pankaja Munde on Thursday said that she was not going to leave the saffron outfit but openly challenged the party leadership and detractors.

"I am not going to leave the party.... if the party wants to leave me, it can decide," Pankaja said addressing a mammoth rally at Gopinath Gad in Parli in Beed district on the 70th birth anniversary of her father late Gopinath Munde.

Another senior leader Eknath Khadse too lashed out at their detractors and leadership for ignoring them.

The outburst of Pankaja and Khadse came in presence of state BJP President Chandrakant Patil, who assured that the party would look into their grievances.

"Why should you be angry on the party.... if you are angry against someone?" he said.

In their speech, Pankaja and Khadse lashed out at then Chief Minister and now Leader of the Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis without naming him.

"I am being accused of being ambitious... they say that I want to be CM.... I have not said so, but tell me is it wrong to be ambitious... can't a woman lead the state?" asked Pankaja.

She also said that the office of the Gopinath Munde Prathisthan would be established in Mumbai on 26 January, 2020 and the next day, 27 January, she would undertake a token fast in Aurangabad to highlight the pending issues of the Marathwada region. "I will tour the entire state," she said.

"I am not a minister now....I am not an MLA...I am not even a corporator...from today I am not even part of (BJP) core committee...they call me rebel....do you thing independence was possible without a rebellion," she said.

Earlier, Patil has detailed meeting with Pankaja and Khadse.