Was with Shiv Sena for 25 years, there will be some attachment: Chhagan Bhujbal

Dismissing speculations about his growing bonhomie with the Sena, following his son Pankaj’s meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday, Bhujbal said: “I was going through a downfall and the Sena extended its support verbally. I was with the Sena for 25 years; there will be some attachment for sure. There will be some concern for sure… I express my gratitude to Shiv Sena for the kind words during my hardships.” Bhujbal, however, dismissed that differences existed between him and the NCP. Asked why his party gave him cold shoulder during the last two years when he was in prison, Bhujbal said: “When I was granted bail, the first person to call me was NCP president Sharad Pawar.”

Refusing to disclose his political roadmap, Bhujbal said doctors have asked him for complete rest and to avoid stress. “Doctors have asked me not to give too many bites to (electronic) media,” he said. He also expressed hope that “truth” will come out in the Maharashtra Sadan money laundering case.

Asked about the NCP rally in Pune on June 10, Bhujbal said: “If I feel better, I will go to Pune and attend it.” An NCP leader, on condition of anonymity, said: “On NCP’s foundation day on June 10, the party will have him on the dias. He is also likely to make a speech.”

Later, in a statement, Pankaj said that Bhujbal was suffering from a pancreatic ailment for the past two months and would require surgery.

Bhujbal, a former deputy chief minister, had started his political career with the Shiv Sena and was in the party for over two decades. He left the Sena in 1991 and joined the Congress. Later, after Sharad Pawar decided to split from the Congress and formed the NCP, the former PWD minister went along with him.