Loyal to Congress till last breath, says Shivraj Patil Chakurkar

It was loyalty which took precedence over political opportunism. Former union home minister and veteran Congress leader Shivraj Patil Chakurkar on Thursday made it amply clear that he or his family will not leave the party till the last breath and continue to work for it. Chakurkar's explanation came in the wake of BJP's attempt to nominate his daughter-in-law Dr Archana Patil Chakurkar against the former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's son Amit Deshmukh in Latur city constituency.

For BJP, luring Chakurkar's family member was quite important to win over the politically influential Lingayat community as Patil Chakurkar comes from that community. The Lingayat community has a sizeable presence in the drought hit Latur district. BJP since 2014 election had tightened its grip in Latur district which is no more Congress party's bastion. Since the last assembly poll, BJP has won successive local and civic body elections. BJP made all out efforts to reach out to Dr Archana Patil Chakurkar with a proposal of party's candidature.

However, the 84-year-old Congress party loyalist Patil Chakurkar said ''Party's thinking and ideology are supreme to me. None of the family members will quit the party till I am alive. For me loyalty to the party and ideology are of paramount importance and there will not be any compromise on it till last breath,'' he told his supporters.

Patil Chakurkar also asked his supporters not to believe any rumours and reiterated that his family is committed to the Congress party.