Sena is my past, stresses the NCP leader
Mumbai : Putting to rest all the speculations regarding his joining Shiv Sena, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday said, “Shiv Sena is my past. My present and my future is the NCP”.
The letter written by Sanjay Raut should not be seen from political angle. It reflects the reality, Bhujbal said while stressing that he is not guilty in the alleged corruption charges against him. Shiv Sena too, meanwhile, has denied the possibility of Bhjubal’s ‘GharWapsi’.
Meanwhile, denying the possibility of Bhujbal’s joining Shiv Sena as well as the said contents of his letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “I’ve not given or sought a clean chit to Bhujbal. But, the officials have been wrongly implicated in the case, I feel.”
Amidst tightening noose over alleged cases of corruption against him, speculations were high for about a week that, senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, a minister in the erstwhile Democratic Front government in Maharashtra, may be heading towards Shiv Sena.
However, along with Bhujbal, the NCP too issued a clarification denying any such possibility. “Bhujbal is the founder-state unit president of our party….the NCP is with Bhujbal….and Bhujbal is with the NCP,” NCP’s state unit chief Sunil Tatkare said.
A senior OBC leader, Bhujbal, is also the President of Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, and one of the key leaders of the NCP. He had started his political career with the Shiv Sena, he switched over to Congress in 1991 and then NCP, when the latter was formed by Sharad Pawar in 1999. He held portfolios like Home, Tourism and Public Works and also served as Deputy Chief Minister. Controversies were never new to him. But, his role as PWD minister has come to light in the scam that involved construction of Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi. Bhujbal’s son Pankaj Bhujbal and nephew Sameer Bhujbal too are under the scanner of the ACB, which has registered an FIR in the case. When the BJP-Shiv Sena government came to power, it launched probes against Bhujbal in the Maharashtra Sadan case and against former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Tatkare – and these cases are being monitored by the High Court.
The source of the speculation was a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, which was said to have sought to absolve Bhujbal of the charges. When asked about the letter, Fadnavis, said: “I have not received any letter.” When asked to comment upon alleged clean chit given to Bhujbal by Minister for Cooperation Chandrakant Patil, Fadnavis clarified that no clean chit was given to Bhujbal.
