'Have a lion's share in BJP's 2014 state win'

A standout feature about the BJP in this election is the clinical axing of several veterans who were not so long ago considered peers or even seniors to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis The biggest among them is Eknath KhadseThough the nomination of his daughter Rohini Khadse Khewalkar has softened the blow Khadse makes no bones that there is a welllaid plan to oust him from state politicsDenied a ticket for the Muktainagar constituency he has represented six times over the last 25 years the former revenue minister said he had an idea of what was coming but refuses to fade away thanks to the clout he still enjoys with the BJP cadre The onetime firebrand opposition leader said in a noholdsbarred interview that the tiger in him was still zinda and roaming free in the jungles and will not be scared of ratsExcerptsHow are you doing after recent events that changed your role in state politicsNothing has changed I have experienced ups and downs all my life Frustration anger and disappointment after such instances are momentary Im a BJP worker who acts in accordance with the partys policy Im still the same Eknath Khadse who worked hard for the partys progress and growthYou arent partys candidate Do you still feel responsible for the constituencyMy responsibility has increased manifold Some people thought I would be a weak candidate if fielded for the seventh time But the dissent among his supporters has been replaced with a sense of competition We are all working for registering a huge victory for RohiniDo you suspect a plan behind relegating you to the margdarshak mandalI have always been an adviser and ran the party along with other seniors The phrase margdarshak mandal wasnt popular in the BJP then We had leaders like Pramod Mahajan who we called headmaster Gopinath Munde Padurang Fundkar NS Farande and many others The students we tutored then have now become professors Times change Our students dont need my advice and instead they are now teaching politics to seniors This is like the Mahabharat where disciples become wiser than the gurus I will not say very definitely that my ouster was engineered but I got an idea of what might be coming up The CM had a meeting with me during the last legislative session He told me the BJP will offer me a new role mdash a governor of some state I asked why The gubernatorial position outside your state means the end of the road in politics I asked myself what next The CM said my daughter would replace me as a candidate but I said I havent asked for her candidature You know what happened nextAny specific reason behind the moveI have always spoken my mind and never ever thought of consequences I have always represented peoples causes with all my political strength and energy I took similar stands inside and outside the legislature And thats why I enjoy a huge following in Maharashtra People called me from various places to sympathise with me when I was denied a ticketI was among the leaders who built the BJP brick by brick over 40 years I think I also have a lions share in 2014 victory in Maharashtra You should see my last speech in the legislature The 12 lakh views and the comments supporting my stand speak volumes of Khadse as a person and leaderYou rocked the legislature when in Opposition You wouldnt be an MLA or minister in the future Is Mr Khadse a toothless tiger nowNot at all Tiger zinda hai and aur jungle me raj kar raha hai Im not scared of rats and foxes because Im a born tiger I can deal with any situation bravely and without compromise I dont really need political positions to work for the people I can do it through Rohini daughter and Raksha his daughterinlaw who is a Lok Sabha MPWhy is it that while loyalists are out turncoats are filling the BJP ranksIt happens Most people who came in were with us between 1995 and 1999 They went to the ruling parties Congress NCP and now they are back with BJP which is in power They think the BJP will not be out of power for many years to come Im also confident that the BJP will get a simple majority on its own because the opposition is so weak When I review speeches I have made in the Assembly I realise what a strong opposition could do to put the government on tenterhooks At national level the BJP will keep going from strong to strength as long as Narendra Modi leads itCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates