Bouquets and brickbats: BJP welcomes ex-minister Kadu as ally

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday welcomed former minister Bacchu Kadu into Maharashtra’s ruling alliance following his move to join the Shiv Sena, but not before taking potshots at his political journey marked by shifting allegiance.

Kadu, who headed his own outfit Prahar Janshakti Paksh (PJP), joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of party head and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai and was soon declared its candidate for the May 12 elections to the Legislative Council.

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The BJP, a Shiv Sena ally and head of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, trained its guns on Kadu over his political trajectory while welcoming him into the alliance.

In a post on social media platform X, state BJP spokesperson Shivaray Kulkarni chronicled Kadu’s political journey since 1999 and made a series of critical remarks about his shifting positions, while extending a guarded welcome to him as an ally.

Kulkarni alleged that Kadu had left the united Shiv Sena after being denied a candidature and compromised on ideological positions for electoral gains.

He claimed Kadu had taken varying stands on issues such as Hindutva, criticised senior politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state leaders, and aligned himself with different political formations over time in pursuit of power.The BJP spokesperson also took a swipe at the former MLA’s agitations in the past, alleging he had invoked the cause of cultivators, farm labourers and ‘divyangs’ (persons with disabilities), at different junctures to suit his political moves.

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Kulkarni claimed Kadu had opposed the ruling coalition and later sought to return to it, asserting that his actions reflected political opportunism.

“In short, anywhere, anytime, anything for power,” he remarked, summing up his criticism of Kadu’s political conduct.

Despite the sharp remarks, Kulkarni welcomed Kadu into the alliance, urging him to act like a “friend” and uphold the ideology associated with the saffron combine of the BJP-Shiv Sena.

He expressed hope that the former state minister, like Shinde, would strongly articulate the ideology of Hindutva going forward.

Kadu left the then-undivided Shiv Sena in 1999 and went on to establish the PJP in Amravati district of the Vidarbha region. He won the legislative assembly elections four times, but lost the 2024 polls.

Following his defeat, Kadu led a major agitation in Vidarbha seeking a crop loan waiver for farmers, a demand that was later accepted by the Mahayuti government.