28 Aug : The BJP leadership, already under attack from various quarters, on Wednesday faced fresh criticism with former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri questioning his removal and Vasundharaj Raje putting up a show of strength in Jaipur.
Khanduri, sulking ever since his removal from the chief minister’s post after the Lok Sabha electoral debacle, has written a letter to party President Rajnath Singh in which he is understood to have criticsed his removal even before proper analysis of the results.
Singh confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to go into its details. He even expressed confidence that the current troubles in the party would not affect its performance in the Assembly elections scheduled in states like Maharashtra and Haryana.
“Whatever is happening in BJP is unfortunate,” said Khanduri who was removed after the party lost all the five seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
“Keeping in view BJP’s record, its discipline, love for the country and people’s faith in the party, whatever is happening right now now is a cause for concern,” he said.
Khanduri said he prayed to God that the party regained its past glory and people’s faith be restored like in the past.
Dubbing as “unusual and uncalled for” the hue and cry in over the poor poll performance, Khanduri had said yesterday that the party should have gone into the reasons behind its defeat before removing him as Uttarakhand Chief Minister.
“But this was not done,” rued Khanduri, who became the first victim after the party lost at all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state.
He also said the party should have reviewed its electoral performance with a cool mind and whatever action it had to take, it should have taken after proper analysis.
Khanduri said the atmosphere of hopelessness after the party’s poor performance in Lok Sabha polls was uncalled for.
“It is not that the party has been ruined. It has secured 116 seats in the Lok Sabha this time. The position of Congress in 1996 was worse,” he said.
Asked why he was not invited for the BJP’s Chintan Bhaithak in Shimla, Khanduri said, “it is not an issue. The issue is that before taking any action views of all concerned should be elicited.”
Meanwhile, Raje, who has been asked to quit as Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, on Wednesday put up a show of strength when 70 of the BJP MLAs attended a Legislature Party meeting convened by her in Jaipur.
She told reporters that she has not not submitted her resignation to the party.
BJP Deputy Leader Ganshyam Tiwari said the issue did not not come up in the meeting today.
Two MLAs supporting her, Rajendra Singh Rathore and Gyandeo Ahuja, who were suspended anti-party activities, also attended today’s meeting.