BJP leader Madhu Chavan cannot be faulted if he begins to believe that producing Marathi masala films with popular comic actors like Laxmikant Berde is easier than managing rivalries within the party. A loyal RSS activist and dedicated party worker, Chavan apparently paid the price for switching loyalties. While remaining a loyal Sangh Parivar activist, Chavan was also loyal to senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde. However, about a year ago, he switched sides and chose to support the anti-Munde group led by former Mumbai BJP chief Vinod Tawde. This eventually saw Chavan being appointed as the Mumbai unit chief, but his happiness was shortlived as it prompted Munde to raise a banner of revolt. With Munde opposing his appointment as Mumbai unit chief and quitting all party posts on Sunday, the party has been forced to replace him with another local leader. Earlier on Tuesday, Gopinath Munde had said he would stay in the party and had never thought of joining any other platform. Chavan is a contemporary of Munde and both have been a part of the Sangh Parivar since their student days and have remained loyal to its ideology. The only difference is that Munde has a popular base and has been instrumental in taking the party to the masses. Chavan, 60, belongs to Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district and has been actively involved in political and cultural activities since the days of the Jana Sangh. He went on to become the vice-president of the state BJP in 1995 when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance wrested power from the Congress in the state. He was appointed the chief spokesman of the state BJP in 2003 and has been a member of the legislative council since January 2004. Among the films he has produced, two Marathi comedies, Hamaal De Dhammal and Same to Same, were hits.
