Pankaja Munde breaks silence, says not quitting BJP

Breaking her silence on speculations regarding her future political course, BJP leader Pankaja Munde on Tuesday said she was not leaving the party, a day after she removed 'BJP' from her Twitter bio.

Political circles were abuzz since Sunday when Pankaja wrote a Facebook post on her "future journey" in view of changed political circumstances in Maharashtra where the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together to form a government.

"I am not leaving the party. Defection is not in my blood," Pankaja told reporters.

Pankaja, daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, also denied rumours that her act of removing "BJP" from her twitter bio was aimed at putting pressure on her party.

On Tuesday, Pankaja met senior BJP leaders Vinod Tawde, Ram Shinde and MLA Babanrao Lonikar at her residence in Malabar Hill in south Mumbai.

Pankaja has not yet vacated her official residence allotted to her as a minister in the erstwhile BJP-led government.

"Her facebook post on Sunday was distorted by the opponents; hence she was deeply hurt. She herself informed me that she is not unhappy with the party," Tawde said.

Earlier in the day, Pankaja paid tributes to India's first President Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary on her Facebook page while posting an image of 'lotus' (BJP symbol) along with it.

The 'About' section of her Facebook account also mentioned BJP as her political affiliation.

In her Facebook post on Sunday, she invited her followers to Gopinathgad in Beed district on December 12 on the occasion of her late father birth anniversary.

"Looking at the changed political scenario in state, there is a need to think and decide the way ahead. I need time for some 8-10 days to communicate with myself. Our future journey need to be decided against the backdrop of current political changes," she wrote in her Facebook post in Marathi.

Pankaja had lost the Parli seat in Beed district to her estranged cousin Dhananjay Munde of the NCP in the October 21 assembly elections.