We are in BJP and if the party gives ticket to Sagar Meghe, he will definitely contest from Wardha Lok Sabha constituency. “I am not sure whether sitting MP Ramdas Tadas was being replaced by the party for the forthcoming general elections,” veteran politician Datta Meghe said.
Sagar is a former BJP MLC, who stepped down and was aspiring to go to Parliament, but during the 2014 elections, BJP fielded first timer former Legislator, Ramdas Tadas, who won in Narendra Modi wave defeating Congress nominee Sagar by a margin of two lakh votes. The same constituency was twice represented by Datta Meghe in 1998 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Now senior Meghe wants his eldest son Sagar to go to Parliament, if everything goes well in his favour.
In an interview to TLN, Meghe said Union Minister for Transport, Shipping and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari must have been busy in some other important assignment or national task which led to his absence from the scene of finalising BJP-Shiv Sena electoral pact in Mumbai recently, Datta Meghe said. With electoral alliance, now BJP and Sena should refrain from criticising each other in public domain, he remarked.
Gadkari’s stature can’t be denied and though technically he was not present when announcement was made, but he is very much part of the show, Meghe, said. Gadkari has talked about diverting river water from going to Pakistan in wake of the killing of 44 CRF jawans in Pulwama. This could be the reason as he was preparing for this move of the Central government.
Gadkari has also made it clear that he is not in the race of Prime Minister, his close friends both in politics and outside should not put him in awkward position and keep him away from any controversies, Meghe who is close to Gadkari, said.
Welcoming the pre-poll alliance of BJP-Sena after huge mud slanging against each other, Meghe who spent two decades in Parliament and 15 years in Assembly, said now both the parties should exercise restrain from accusing each others in public domain. Everyone knows that from the brink of collapse of saffron alliance, both parties gave a fresh lease of life to electoral alliance which should continue now.
Complimenting Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis for his political wisdom and initiative in giving shape to new adjustments, Meghe, a senior most politician of Maharashtra, said both parties will now benefit from the alliance. The division of votes has come to a halt, it seems, he added.
Talking about the resentments in Dalits and Muslim community voters about certain high handedness by some radicals in saffron alliance, Meghe said but in general en block voting is not done anywhere and therefore any perception may not be true.
On senior Dalit leader, Ramdas Athawale’s resentment, as left in lurch in the alliance, Meghe said whatever he has to react he must not make in public and instead talk to BJP leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.
