Mumbai: Days after he was granted bail in a money laundering case, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said the skies have cleared now, and the truth in the Maharashtra Sadan scam – in which he is an accused – will come out soon.
Appreciating greetings from the Shiv Sena, Mr. Bhujbal said the Sena was bound to have concern about his health. “I was going through a downfall and the Sena verbally extended its support. I was with the Sena for 25 years; there will be some attachment for sure,” he told reporters after he was discharged from KEM hospital.
His son Pankaj Bhujbal on Wednesday met Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshri. Mr. Thackeray advised him to take care of his ailing father. The meeting, however, triggered speculations about the change in the Sena’s stance towards the senior NCP leader.
The former deputy chief minister started his political career with the Sena. He left the party in 1991 to join the Congress.
Mr. Bhujbal said it was NCP chief Sharad Pawar who called him first after he came out of jail. “I hope that the truth in the Maharashtra Sadan case will come out. A BJP MP had once told me that the Sadan looks beautiful but its maker (Mr. Bhujbal) is behind bars [ Sadan banaya sundar, bananewala andar ],” he said.
His son, in a statement, said his father has been suffering from a pancreatic ailment for over two months, and will require a surgery. Mr. Bhujbal said, “I was not well for the last three-and-a-half months. I have still not been recovered. Doctors have asked me not to take stress. I may have to get admitted to hospital in the coming days. I may undergo a surgery, and if I get better, I will certainly attend political functions.”
When asked whether he will be attending the June 10 rally of the NCP in Pune, Mr. Bhujbal replied, “If I feel better, I will go to Pune and attend the function.”
Mr. Bhujbal was arrested in March 2016 after he was named an accused in the case of alleged corruption and irregularities in the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.
