New Delhi:
Gopinath Munde has been giving the BJP sleepless nights. Sources say the rebel leader is engaged in active negotiations with the Congress for moving from the BJP.
Sources close to Munde say that his key demand is a Cabinet berth at the Centre. With the BJP not ready to negotiate a peace deal with Munde, the party prepares for a split.
However, just before his meeting with Congress leaders, Munde - on his arrival to Delhi from Mumbai - denied he was talking to the Congress.
"I am not in touch with anyone from Congress. Until the final round of meeting with BJP, will not be able to say whether I'm satisfied or not," he said last night.
The Congress, too, wasn't playing down the possibility of wooing Mr Munde to switch sides. Earlier in on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had said, 'Wait and watch', when he was asked about whether Mr Munde might soon be a Congressman.
The BJP had called an emergency meet in Mumbai yesterday to discuss Mr Munde's turf war with party president Nitin Gadkari in their home state of Maharashtra. Mr Munde was not invited to the BJP's Mumbai meeting. Over the weekend, he met with senior leaders like LK Advani in Delhi. They reportedly rejected his demand to be elevated to Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly and to be placed in charge of the preparations for the next elections in Maharashtra.
The BJP's internal assessment has concluded that Mr Munde is no longer the powerhouse he was once considered along with his brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan, who was shot dead a few years ago. But Mr Munde's stature as an OBC leader and his undeniable experience in Maharashtra politics glow doubly now that it's clear the Congress is eager to bring him on board.
Mr Munde went public with his dissent on Friday, telling TV reporters that he was frustrated because his party leaders refused to respond to his complaints.
Sources close to Munde say that his key demand is a Cabinet berth at the Centre. With the BJP not ready to negotiate a peace deal with Munde, the party prepares for a split.
However, just before his meeting with Congress leaders, Munde - on his arrival to Delhi from Mumbai - denied he was talking to the Congress.
"I am not in touch with anyone from Congress. Until the final round of meeting with BJP, will not be able to say whether I'm satisfied or not," he said last night.
The Congress, too, wasn't playing down the possibility of wooing Mr Munde to switch sides. Earlier in on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had said, 'Wait and watch', when he was asked about whether Mr Munde might soon be a Congressman.
The BJP had called an emergency meet in Mumbai yesterday to discuss Mr Munde's turf war with party president Nitin Gadkari in their home state of Maharashtra. Mr Munde was not invited to the BJP's Mumbai meeting. Over the weekend, he met with senior leaders like LK Advani in Delhi. They reportedly rejected his demand to be elevated to Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly and to be placed in charge of the preparations for the next elections in Maharashtra.
The BJP's internal assessment has concluded that Mr Munde is no longer the powerhouse he was once considered along with his brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan, who was shot dead a few years ago. But Mr Munde's stature as an OBC leader and his undeniable experience in Maharashtra politics glow doubly now that it's clear the Congress is eager to bring him on board.
Mr Munde went public with his dissent on Friday, telling TV reporters that he was frustrated because his party leaders refused to respond to his complaints.
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