Bawankule Mocks Gudadhe’s Call To Shut BJP Shop In City

Nagpur: Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said Congress' claim of "closing BJP's shop" in Nagpur is simply an over-enthusiastic statement from newly appointed city president Prafulla Gudadhe. The latter recently said that he will down the shutter of BJP in city, but Bawankule said Gudadhe has more threat from within his own party. "He must know that there is so much factionalism in Congress party in Nagpur that people from his own camp will close Gudadhe's shutter first. This is childishness. He is overly excited after being appointed president, hence making such tall claims," said Bawankule. As the Nagpur legislative council bypoll on June 18 turns into a straight contest between BJP's Rajiv Potdar and Congress' Atul Londhe, BJP has lined up a week-long programme for its 109 NMC corporators that includes a Goa resort stay, a Mumbai dinner with CM Devendra Fadnavis and a two-day camp at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini on June 15 and 16. Sources said the corporators leave Nagpur by Duronto Express on June 10, fly to Goa the next day and return to Mumbai on June 14, in what is seen as a ring-fencing exercise to stave off any cross-voting. The mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee chairman have been kept out. Bawankule rejected the ring-fencing framing. He said, "All our corporators are going for training on their own money. Some are on a trip, but have said they will travel at their own cost. This is good. An ideal example has been set in Nagpur."