Daijiworld Media Network – Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 12: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday inaugurated the statue of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde at Latur, describing him as a leader who worked for his own community while fostering communal harmony across Maharashtra.

“Mundeji was known as the leader of the OBC community, but members of other communities equally liked him,” Fadnavis said, in remarks seen as an indirect reference to the ongoing political polarisation over Maratha reservation.

Reflecting on Munde’s political journey, Fadnavis revealed that the BJP leadership had planned to make him Maharashtra’s chief minister after the 2014 assembly elections. “There was a slogan then — Modi for PM, Fadnavis for CM. But we told Modiji we are lending you Mundeji for a short while in the Lok Sabha, as he was to return and become the CM of Maharashtra,” he said, adding that Munde’s sudden demise changed the course of events.

Fadnavis recalled Munde’s pivotal role in expanding BJP’s presence in the state and credited him, as home minister, for freeing Mumbai and Maharashtra from the grip of the underworld.

BJP minister Pankaja Munde, daughter of the late leader, said, “Many supporters tell me my style of working is different from my father’s. I always say I work not in his style, but in the way he expected me to.”