NCP minister sacked after daughter joins BJP

The NCP’s move came shortly after Heena Gavit joined the BJP in the presence of party president Rajnath Singh and PM candidate Narendra Modi in New Delhi Wednesday. The BJP announced Heena would contest the elections from Nandurbar, a tribal constituency. She is enrolled in a PG course in medicine at Grants Medical College and J J Hospital.

“If anyone in the party is seen hobnobbing with political rivals and communal forces like the BJP, we will take stern steps. The decision to sack Gavit was to send a signal that the NCP will not tolerate any handshakes with rivals,” Ajit Pawar said.

Gavit admitted, “There was pressure from the top NCP leadership not to allow my daughter to join the BJP. But how could I stop her from taking a decision?” He added, “I accept the NCP’s decision. I have nothing to complain about.”

Calling the development NCP’s internal matter, state BJP president Devendra Fadnavis said, “I find it strange Ajit Pawar should so emphatically accuse the BJP of being a communal party. I would like to remind him that respected Sharad Pawar was the chairman of National Disaster Management Council during the NDA government led by PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.”

Vijaykumar Gavit too is likely to join the BJP and contest the assembly elections, scheduled in September 2014, from the Nandurbar belt.