Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is stepping up attack against the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, its leader and former minister Pankaja Munde, on Sunday, took a totally different view and said that there was no need to play politics during the present coronavirus pandemic. Munde, who is daughter of party veteran late Gopinath Munde, ahead of her father’s death anniversary on June 3, expressed strong displeasure over her party leaders firing salvos against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in particular and the government in general.
At the outset, Munde, who was denied ticket during the recent election to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, clarified that she was currently not active in politics, as she was focusing more on social work. However, she admitted that the opposition should do its work and hold the government responsible. However, her advice to the ruling party was that it should continue to function undeterred by the opposition attack. “It is necessary for the ruling and opposition parties to do their job, but this is not a time to play politics,’’ she noted.
Munde’s statement will cheer MVA leaders who have slammed BJP for playing ‘dirty’ politics instead of uniting with the government in the war against the virus. On the other hand, Munde’s candid observation may displease few leaders in the BJP who are at the front to corner the MVA government.
Contrary to criticism by BJP leaders, Munde admitted that the MVA government has taken a slew of decisions to fight the coronavirus pandemic and they are not improper. However, she suggested that the state government should take more steps and consult experts to curb the pandemic. The government needs to initiate more measures if the number of coronavirus patients surge.
Munde said there has been a large scale migration due to the coronavirus crisis. She emphasised the need for aggressive testing to curb spread of the virus. On the denial of party nomination for the upper house election, Munde said she did not feel let down. She clarified that she has accepted the party’s decision.
