Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party faces a revolt by disgruntled party MLAs in Uttarkhand who want Chief Minister B C Khanduri removed for the BJP’s rout in the Lok Sabha elections.
Former chief minister and dissident leader Bhagat Singh Koshiari has been camping in Delhi with eight MLAs for the last three days, pressurising senior BJP leaders to remove Khanduri.
That is something the BJP can ill afford to do. Any leadership change in Uttakhand could also trigger similar demands in other states as well.
The party is also fending off the allegations made by senior leaders Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh, who last week questioned why colleagues who managed the BJP’s election campaign are being rewarded.
The open show of resentment has forced party president Rajnath Singh to issue gag order. Sinha, who resigned from his posts in the party on Saturday, on Sunday almost dared the BJP to take action against him.
"I had sent my resignation to be accepted. Therefore I'm happy that my resignation has been accepted," he said. "It is just like getting the load off my chest".
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) too had harsh words to say about the party. "The BJP has failed to convey the real meaning of Hindutva to the people. Probably they thought they were not deemed to climb the pedestal of power with Hindutva line. Hence, BJP should now disassociate itself with Hindutva," said RSS ideologue M G Vaidya in a column in the Marathi daily Tarun Bharat.
But "if the BJP gives up Hindutva it will automatically snap its umbilical cord with the Sangh," said Vaidya
Rajnath Singh clarified that the BJP planned no such thing. "I want to put this bluntly that I still abide by the ideology of Hindutva which I have followed ever since I commenced my political career. And I will remain wedded to it for all times to come," he said.
The BJP national executive will meet later this month and with more and more leaders now questioning the party strategy and its leadership the meeting could give another platform for the dissidents within.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.