Veteran politician Dr Ashish Deshmukh, a stalwart from Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, rejoined the BJP on Sunday (June 18) after a brief five-year association with the Congress, describing Rahul Gandhi as 'OBC-virodhi'. Dr Deshmukh had spoken out against Gandhi a few months ago for insulting the OBC community with his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, even as he made accusations against state Congress President Nana Patole, for which he was expelled by the grand old party.
Dr Deshmukh, the son of former state Congress President and Textiles Minister Ranjeet Deshmukh and the nephew of veteran NCP leader and former home minister Anil Deshmukh, began his political career with the Congress and later joined the BJP.
However, Dr Deshmukh (49) declared that he would not run in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections and would instead work for the BJP in the state, according to media reports.
Dr Deshmukh joined the BJP at a function in Nagpur on Sunday, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. "I don't want any posts...I'd like to work for the BJP...In fact, leaving the BJP (and joining the Congress) was a mistake on my part...Let me work for the party...let us work to bring the 'Narendra and Devendra' government to the Centre and the state," he was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
Dr Deshmukh has been in contact with Fadnavis, Bawankule, and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is a Nagpur MP, in recent weeks. On May 24, Deshmukh was expelled from the grand old party for six years for his statements against Gandhi and Maharashtra unit President Nana Patole. Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan chaired the MPCC's Disciplinary Action Committee, which suspended him on April 7 and sought his response, which was later found unsatisfactory, leading to his expulsion.
Deshmukh stated in a TV interview that Gandhi should apologise to the OBC community - just days after the Wayanad MP was suspended from the Lok Sabha after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him to two years in a defamation case filed against him for his references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the OBC community. He also claimed Patole received money from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena's Chief Leader.
Deshmukh successfully contested the Katol seat from the BJP in 2014, defeating NCP's Anil Deshmukh; however, in 2019, he rejoined the Congress and ran unsuccessfully against Fadnavis in Nagpur South West. "We would decide how to use his expertise...that is something we would decide...but I must say, it takes tremendous guts to announce that one will not run in the next elections," Fadnavis said.