Prakash Mahajan quits MNS

Prakash Mahajan, brother of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, resigned from MNS, citing lack of recognition and expressing a desire to retire from politics.

MUMBAI: Prakash Mahajan, brother of deceased BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, quit the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Saturday. A senior leader of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, Mahajan told the media, “I don’t think the party needs me now.”

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According to MNS insiders, Mahajan was unhappy at being pulled up by the MNS leadership for engaging in a public spat with former chief minister Narayan Rane and his son, BJP minister Nitesh Rane.

The MNS has not reacted to Mahajan’s exit from the party.

Based in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Mahajan had been with the MNS from its early years. Though he was not actively involved with the party’s organisational machinery, he was a spokesperson of the MNS and used to effectively defend the party on public platforms, especially in television debates.

Significantly, he stuck with the party even though its political fortunes began to dwindle. Mahajan was also a strong advocate of the Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav, joining forces politically.

His association with the MNS ended after a careless remark saw him rebuked by the NMS leadership. Amid speculation of a reunion between Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Nitesh Rane (BJP) remarked that even if 20 (the number of Sena-UBT MLAs) and zero (the MNS drew a blank in the assembly polls) came together, they would not get more than 20 MLAs.

Reacting to this, Mahajan had commented on Nitesh Rane’s height. As Narayan Rane responded angrily, Mahajan challenged him and then claimed he was receiving threatening phone calls.

Mahajan was not invited to the party’s meeting in Mumbai when the Thackeray cousins came together on a public platform. “I did what I could for the party but my efforts were never recognised,” he said on Saturday.

He also said he was now 74 years old, and wanted to retire from politics.