BHANDARA: Infighting in the local Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come to a head, with a Bhandara Municipal Council member going on a fast unto death against the leader of the civic body, who also belongs to the NCP.

Bhagwan Bawankar, who started the hunger strike on Thursday, is an ardent follower of Prafulla Patel, is pressing for permission to execute works under the Dalit Wasti Sudhar program. State education minister, who also belongs to the NCP, has refused to mediate between the two feuding party members.

Bawankar, municipal council member from ward 32, had proposed a nala under the Dalit Wasti Sudhar program, which was okayed by the council. The proposal ran into trouble with the Gosikhurd rehabilitation division, which said it will spend Rs 7.5 crore and complete the work on land acquired by the irrigation department. This annoyed Bawankar and he began his fast against it from May 7, 2009.

Bhagwan Bawankar claims there is a political game to sideline him, by working against the dalit community under political pressure. Bhandara municipal council president Mahendra Gadkari pointed out that it is undesirable to spend Rs 7.5 crore on a single work to satisfy the interest of a single individual, when another department was getting the work done.