Hailing from the village of Nathra in the Beed district of Marathwada in Maharashtra, Gopinath Munde did something truly extraordinary when he stepped outside the boundaries of his village and made his way to Mumbai. His outstanding performance swept across the entire state in one single wave. He believed in leading from the front, and he did – taking to the streets if required, to make sure those in government understood the people’s problem.
In 1995, when a coalition government emerged, Munde was the obvious choice for the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and even the important Home portfolio. Later, he was no longer part of the government; his work nevertheless, continued unabated.
The rewards of this single-minded and tireless work were amply demonstrated through the people’s mandate with a landslide personal win in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Today, the man who has done so much for the masses is understandably hailed as a true ‘Lokneta’- the leader of the masses.
From being a leader with a statewide appeal, he is now poised to shine on the national stage as well. Looking back upon the past six decades with the best yet to come, Gopinath Munde was, at sixty-one, chosen for what is undoubtedly one of the greatest moments ever for a countryman – the honour of addressing the prestigious UNO General Assembly.
This is the fabled crossing over...the big leap of faith...the doing of the undoable. This is the story of an exemplary statesman and human being called Gopinath Munde!