edited by: Pathikrit Sen Gupta
Last Update: February 08, 2023, 17:43 IST
Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat. File photo/Twitter
Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chief Balasaheb Thorat, who has sent his resignation letter to the party high command saying he cannot work with state unit president Nana Patole, spoke exclusively to News18
All is not well in Maharashtra Congress. And the infighting has now led to a political turmoil, with one of the senior most leaders and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chief Balasaheb Thorat sending his resignation letter to the party high command, stating that he President Nana Patole can’t work with the state unit anymore.
In an exclusive interview with CNN News18, Balasaheb Thorat said, “I do not want the party to suffer due to internal strife. That’s why I have written a letter to the party high command in which some issues should be discussed.
Along with his resignation, his letter has created a political storm in Maharashtra.
“I want to continue working for the party. I will continue to work for Congress and I have appealed to my constituency, my voters and also my party workers to remain loyal to Congress. Leaving Congress? If you have problems at home or with your family, do you leave your family?”
The Bharatiya Janata Party also gave a restrained response. “It is an internal matter of the Congress. We have not made any offer to anyone. But I want to say that our doors are open. And we will give due respect to senior politicians of such stature,” Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule told CNN-News18.
Thorat is not known for being outspoken. He is a party loyalist who belongs to a family that has been with the Congress for the last three generations. Sources close to Thorat said he was deeply hurt by the personal attacks and targeting by Maharashtra Congress president Patole. “He also wrote the letter and resignation on February 2. He didn’t talk to anyone about it for so many days. The letter was leaked from Delhi,” said sources close to Balasaheb Thorat.
Though the leader took the MLAs close to him into confidence, he also told them that he would continue to work for the party without any post.
The immediate trigger for such a drastic move was the social embarrassment caused during the recent Legislative Council elections when Satyajit Tambe, Thorat’s nephew and son of Congress loyalist Sudhir Tambe, was denied the Congress candidature, and instead he was was publicly humiliated. Satyajit claimed that this was a conspiracy to end his political career.
“But the way in which he was dragged into the controversy, Balasaheb Thorat was disturbed. He was recovering from a serious shoulder injury in Mumbai. The ticket was to be given to Sudhir Tambe or Satyajit Tambe. The correct AB form was not sent to Satyajit till the last moment. Instead, personal attacks were made against him,” sources close to Thorat told CNN-News18.
This would later lead to embarrassing public spats between the two factions of the Congress, with WhatsApp screenshots of individual conversations circulating to prove their point.
Satyajit Tambe finally filed his nomination as an independent candidate. This would cost the Congress as Tambe eventually won the seat.
Meanwhile, Nana Patole also disbanded the entire executive committee of the Ahmednagar Congress unit. It is a personal blow for Thorat as this is his constituency. The committee has more than 150 members. Since party workers and loyalists got upset over this, a senior leader like Thorat had to take a stand,” said a leader close to him.
What has troubled many Congress leaders, including Balasaheb Thorat, is the manner in which the Maharashtra unit president is functioning. This is not the first time that someone has complained about Patole to the party high command. “If you are the state party president, is it not your responsibility to take everyone along, mend the fence, bring the leaders together? If you fail to do that, people get hurt and it doesn’t help the party.”
Patole claimed that he was not aware of the resignation letter. Asked what he would do now as state party president, he said he would work as per the instructions of the party high command.
Sources told CNN-News18 that top Congress leaders are in constant touch to try to pacify Thorat.
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