Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eknath Khadse on Wednesday resigned from the party and said he will be joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on October 23. "I am resigning from the primary membership of BJP due to personal reasons," Khadse wrote in his resignation letter to BJP's Maharashtra President Chandrakant Patil.
Meanwhile, Khadse has blamed former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his exit from the saffron party. Khadse said he suffered a lot in BJP and added, "The then CM (Devendra Fadnavis) instructed police to register FIR against me on false allegation of harassment by a woman. He said the case would be withdrawn later. Inquiries for corruption was initiated against me in which I came clean."
Khadse further added that Fadnavis destroyed his life. He said, "Devendra Fadnavis destroyed my life. I spent four years in mental tension. I repeatedly said in my speeches that you are forcing me out of the party. I feel sad about quitting the BJP but I had no choice. There were attempts to frame me on false charges of rape,"
Besides, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrakant Patil has said that the resignation of Eknath Khadse has been accepted. Patil said, "I got Eknath Khadse's resignation this morning (Wednesday) and it has been accepted. We give him our best wishes for joining a new party."
Moreover, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray welcomed Khadse to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. However, he also slammed the BJP and said, "When someone like Eknathji Khadse, who expanded the BJPs base, leaves the party, then the BJP should think why its foundation stones are coming off when it is reaching the pinnacle of success."
"Earlier, we (Shiv Sena) left the NDA, the Shiromani Akali Dal also left the alliance recently. Now Khadse is also not with the BJP. Hence, the BJP should think about it. Being an old friend of the BJP, it is my duty to alert them," Uddhav added.
