By IANS
New Delhi/Mumbai : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopinath Munde and his family have received a death threat through a letter received in his ancestral village in Maharashtra, a party spokesman and the police confirmed Sunday.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar confirmed in New Delhi that the former Maharashtra deputy chief minister had received a threat to his life.
Munde’s younger brother Pandit Anna Munde received the letter Saturday in Parli village of Beed district, about 500 km from Mumbai, threatening to “wipe out” the family as well.
It was not clear who was behind the threat to Munde. “He has taken up fights against the anti-social and anti-national elements in the past. He was against dons like Dawood Ibrahim and others. Maybe, one such element has sent the letter,” said Javadekar, who discussed it with Munde.
Munde was in the national capital to attend the party’s national council meet Sunday. He was not available for comment.
He has received such letters in the past as well, according to party sources.
“It is for the police to find out the details and catch the culprits,” Javadekar said.
A case has been registered at the police station of Parli in Beed district. The postcard was posted at Ambejogai town, 25 km from Parli.
Pandit Anna Munde, an active politician in the region, runs the Vaijnath Sugar Cooperative in Pangri Village.
Pradeep Paliwal, the investigating officer of the case, confirmed that the Munde family received the postcard Saturday.
“It is penned in Marathi and threatens to finish off Pandit Anna Munde’s family by Diwali 2008. It alleges that when Gopinath Munde was Maharashtra deputy chief minister during 1995-1999, he did a lot for his Vanjari community but nothing for the other communities.
“It is signed by one Abdul,” Paliwal told IANS by phone from Parli.
Police sources confirmed that the Maharashtra home department was alerted and any decision on providing security to the family would be taken Monday.
Munde is brother-in-law of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, who was shot dead in April 2006 allegedly by his younger brother Pravin Mahajan. It was Munde who rushed Mahajan to a hospital after the shooting.