Never Met Rahul Or Sonia Gandhi: Pankaja Munde Refutes Reports Of Joining Congress

BJP National Secretary Pankaja Munde on Friday refuted speculation of her having met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

She also threatened to file a defamation case against the channel which reported that she had met Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

"Since last few days, reports have been circulating of me joining the Congress. This is completely false. I have been a dedicated party worker for the last 20 years. Being the daughter of Gopinath Munde, betrayal does not run in my blood," Pankaja Munde told reporters in Mumbai.

Addressing a press conference, Munde said post her defeat in the 2019 Assembly polls from Parli, her name came up for nomination to the Rajya Sabha and two times for the Maharashtra Legislative Council but she was asked to not go ahead at the last moment.

"I have never commented on this in public and have obeyed the party directive. i have never worked against the party's interest. Where is politics going...nobody is interested in what people think, I am going to introspect," Pankaja Munde was quoted saying by PTI.

Speaking about the political crisis in Maharashtra, Munde said, "I am a BJP worker who believes in the ideology of Deendayal Upadhaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. I want that ideology to remain as I have grown up with that sentiment," she asserted.

Munde claimed portions of her speeches were sometimes take out of context and speculations were made on what she had said, because of which she had decided to take a break "not from my work but from you (media)".

Speaking about a tweet of her cousin and Parli MLA Dhananjay Munde, the BJP leader said she did not know why it was uploaded during the day. Pankaja Munde had met her cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde recently, with the latter on Friday tweeting a photograph where the BJP general secretary is seen performing 'aukshan' (lamp based ritual for someone's well-being). In the tweet, Dhananjay Munde said she had greeted him for being made minister in the Eknath Shinde government, adding that "brother sister relations are strong in happiness and sadness".

Dhananjay Munde had defeated her from Parli in the 2019 Assembly polls.