Nagpur: Former Congress MP Datta Meghe has quit the party with his two sons and indicated that he would join BJP on July 5.
Meghe, who changed sides from Congress to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and back to Congress when Vilasrao Deshmukh was Maharashtra chief minister, had paved the way this time for his eldest son Sagar to secure the Lok Sabha poll ticket from Wardha.
Sagar, who was locked in a "primary" contest with late Rajasthan Governor Prabha Rau`s daughter Charulata Tokas, contested from Wardha and lost to former NCP legislator Ramdas Tadas, who fought on a BJP ticket.
Meghe`s younger son Sameer was president of the Nagpur City and District Congress Committee.
The Meghe trio is now all set to join BJP on July 5 in Wardha in the presence of Union Minister for Surface Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari, with whom Meghe enjoys a good equation.
"Since my re-induction in Congress, the local office bearers of the party in Wardha were against me. They never co-operated with me and tried to ignore me," Meghe told a group of reporters, showing a copy of his resignation letter from Congress.
He went on to blame Congress leader and Minister of State for Water Conservation, Ranjeet Kamble, for not canvassing for his son Sagar during Lok Sabha elections.
Meghe said that he had brought the injustice done to him to the notice of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and other leaders, but nobody responded.
Though Meghe did not criticise Sonia Gandhi and the Congress brass, he praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meghe has remained an MP from Nagpur, Ramtek and Wardha. He was forced to leave NCP for Congress when it denied a Rajya Sabha re-nomination to him.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakre took a dig at Meghe over his resignation from the party, saying he was in the habit of changing parties.
"I have not received any resignation letter from Meghe. I have checked with my MPCC office in Mumbai and learnt about his quitting the party and blaming some local leaders," Thakre said at a press conference here today.
Thakre said that Meghe had met him and talked about non co-operation by local office bearers and leaders.
However, Thakre belittled Meghe`s resignation saying he has done the same earlier and that his exit would be a "cleansing process".
