My post was a call to my supporters, will speak directly to them on Dec 12, says Pankaja Munde

BJP leader Pankaja Munde on Tuesday refuted the rumours that she was planning to leave the party and said her Facebook post calling her supporters was nothing more than an invite to them for the upcoming birth anniversary celebrations of her late father Gopinath Munde.

"My Facebook post was a call to my supporters for the upcoming birth anniversary of my late father. Some media reports then suggested that I was planning to leave the party which has caused me much grief. I will say nothing more than that, I will talk to my supporters on December 12," Munde told reporters here.

She further said that she had been a dedicated member of the party and wanted to find out who was behind these rumours.

"I am a dedicated member of the party just like my father. I have risen through the ranks based on the work done by me. I have contributed a lot to the party. News reports that I wanted to become the chief minister had also circulated in the past, I want to know who is behind these rumours," Munde said.

"As per some rumours I want to put pressure on the party to gain some post, this is untrue," she added.

Earlier yesterday, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil had also rejected rumours that Pankaja Munde is planning to part ways with the party.

"There are rumours circulating in media and social media claiming that Pankaja Munde, the daughter of late Gopinath Munde, is planning to leave BJP or do something else. Both she and her father had worked very hard for the people and the party," Patil said at a press conference here.

The former minister and BJP leader Pankaja Munde had removed the party's name from her Twitter bio.

Now her bio on the micro-blogging site reads, "RT's r not endorsements."

Munde on Sunday urged her supporters to come for a rally to be held in Beed on December 12, the birth anniversary of her late father and former Union Minister Gopinath Munde.

Through an emotional Facebook post, Pankaja said that after her defeat in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly polls, she had received several calls and messages from her supporters to meet, but could not do so because of the situation in the state.

She also said that in view of the changed political scenario, the future course of action needs to be decided.