The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP from Bhandara-Gondia constituency, Nana Patole finally tendered his resignation from the party yesterday, along with his membership of the Lok Sabha. Speaking to newspersons after submitting his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Patole remarked, “There was a lot of feeling of suffocation inside. I am feeling free from that suffocation. The intention with which I had joined BJP was not being fulfilled and hence I have tendered my resignation from the party and from the Lok Sabha.” This is not the first time that Patole has quit his party, but this is certainly the first BJP MP to criticise the Prime Minister and walk out of the party.
It may be recalled that for the last few days Patole had been quite vocal in his criticism of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led government's policy decisions like demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and about loan waiver for farmers. The BJP Lok Sabha MP had remarked that the Prime Minister does not tolerate dissenting voices. Recently, he had met Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan in Yavatmal during the latters anti-government agitation over the farm loan waiver issue. Sources argue that it was Patole who had invited senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in Akola for agitation over the loan waiver issue.
Although Patole yesterday stated that he is yet to decide which political party to join, he remarked, “I will join those with whom I can correlate with.” Speaking to newspersons in Kolhapur, Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha (MSP) leader Narayan Rane remarked that it became apparent that Patole was charting a new path ever since he began criticising the government. Meanwhile, state Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sunil Tatkare contended that, if and when the Lok Sabha by-election for Bhandara-Gondia is declared, “then we shall discuss with the Congress and decide.” “The Lok Sabha seat is from our quota,” remarked Tatkare.
Since September, Patole had been quite vocal in his criticism of the government over the issue of farm loan waiver. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections Patole had defeated NCP heavyweight Praful Patel by a margin of 1.49 lakh votes. Between 1999 and 2009, Patole was a Congress MLA in the state legislature. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Patole quit the Congress accusing the then Congress government of doing precious little for the farmers.
During his meeting with MPCC president, the latter made the offer to join the Congress instead. Sources added that Patole was agitated over alleged rumors about his NCP rival Praful Patel joining the BJP. But sources in the BJP argued that the electoral history of the Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha constituency has been such that it always needs to be some new candidate to take on NCPs Praful Patel to ensure the latter's defeat.