Arrest a plot to malign Sena: Gholap

NASHIK, Aug 31: Former Social Welfare minister Babanrao Gholap, who was arrested and released on bail on Sunday in connection with the Aw...

NASHIK, Aug 31: Former Social Welfare minister Babanrao Gholap, who was arrested and released on bail on Sunday in connection with the Awami bank scam, blamed Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP for his arrest, which he said was done hastily as a part of a smear campaign against him and the Shiv Sena.

Talking to The Indian Express today, Gholap, whom the Sena has disowned for allegedly scuttling the candidature of the official party nominee, Ravikiran Gholap8217;s nephew from the Devlali Assembly constituency, to remain in the fray as an Independent, said that his arrest in the middle of the poll campaign was a larger plot of the BJP to malign the image of the Sena.

Gholap accused Munde, who holds the Home portfolio, of quot;hastilyquot; issuing orders under instructions of the BJP, to arrest him. quot;They could have waited till August 11 the day of elections and then filed the chargesheet against me,quot; Gholap said, pointing out that the Awami bank case was more than a year old and there was no logical reason for expediting his arrest on the eve of the polls.

Gholap further said that when the election process started, the BJP had stated that its electoral partner 8212; the Sena 8212; could nominate candidates of its choice. However, subsequently, the BJP objected to his candidature on grounds that he was an accused in the bank scam case.

Gholap said Sena chief Bal Thackeray then denied him a ticket in interest of the Sena-BJP alliance. He said the Sena continued to remain convinced of his innocence and accepted his suggestion of nominating his nephew, Ravikiran, from Devlali as the official Sena nominee. But Ravikiran8217;s candidature was rejected for want of an original letter of authority from the party. Gholap claimed that at the last minute, he filed his nomination as an Independent as the party was on the verge of losing a winning seat. He said that he had nothing to do with the missing letter.

Gholap said that though the Sena had not supported his Independent candidature from Devlali, he was very much in the party and would continue to be so. He said the quot;aeroplane his election symbol would flyquot; after his winning the Devlali seat, staight to quot;Matoshriquot; Thackeray8217;s residence and then to the Legislative Assembly.