Vikhe Patil must clear stand on son's entry in BJP: Thorat

Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat Wednesday asked his senior party colleague Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to make his stand clear on his son joining the BJP.

Sujay Vikhe Patil, the son of senior Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil who is also the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, joined the BJP Tuesday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said he will suggest the BJP leadership to field Sujay Vikhe Patil, a neurosurgeon by profession, from the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat.

Talking to PTI at Sangamner, 80km from here, Thorat said the Vikhe Patil family has been associated with the Congress for the last five decades and the party has treated its members well.

However, the Vikhe Patils have "betrayed" the Congress at a crucial time, Thorat said.

Thorat said Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil should clarify his stand on his son joining the BJP, the principal political opponent of the Congress.

The former minister said Ahmednagar district is a traditional stronghold of the Congress.

Thorat expressed confidence the Congress-NCP alliance will win Ahmednagar as well the adjoining Shirdi Lok Sabha seat in the next month's election.

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is yet to publicly react to his son's entry into the BJP.

However, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan has slammed the BJP for inducting Sujay Vikhe Patil and said it reflected the saffron outfit's "divide and break" policy.

Sujay Vikhe Patil had Tuesday said he did not consult his father before joining the BJP.