Will cripple NCP, says BJP as another leader joins party

Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde today exuded confidence that his party would break the "backbone" of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP as many of its leaders are on way to joining BJP.
"In the coming days, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, many more NCP leaders will join BJP... We will break its backbone," Munde told reporters here.
The former deputy chief minister was speaking to media after a prominent NCP leader from Beed district today joined BJP in presence of Munde who hails from the same district.
Fulchand Karad, who had contested the Assembly election against Munde, said he had decided to leave NCP as a coterie which surrounds Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar keeps sincere and dedicated workers away from the party leadership.

"NCP had promised to make me a member of the state legislative council, but reneged on the promise," Karad told reporters at the state BJP office here.
"NCP has a use-and-throw policy," he said adding, "I attended NCP meetings where the only agenda was to defeat Munde."

The NCP had on Wednesday sacked Vijaykumar Gavit, a senior minister, whose daughter joined BJP and got the Lok Sabha ticket from Nandurbar.
Earlier this week, NCP leader Kapil Patil from Bhiwandi in Thane district quit the party to join the BJP.
Last month, NCP suffered a blow in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections with party MLC Sanjay Kaka Patil joining the BJP. He is pitted against sitting MP from Sangli and Union minister of state for coal Pratik Patil.