The Hindu : U.P. BJP MLA defiant

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 09, 2002

Other States

Other States - Uttar Pradesh

U.P. BJP MLA defiant

By J. P. Shukla

LUCKNOW MAY 8. The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in Uttar Pradesh is facing an open revolt by its district unit in Bahraich, triggered by the exclusion of the senior party MLA, Chandramani Kant Singh, from the State Council of Ministers, headed by Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

According to the former Chief Minister and leader of the BJP legislature party, Rajnath Singh, the issue has been taken up with the MLA and would be resolved amicably.

Chandramani Singh, however, reiterated that he was in no mood to give in. Claiming that he was not alone in his protest, he said many other BJP MLAs would oppose the vote of confidence in the Assembly next week.

Nearly one hundred BJP workers from Bahraich staged a demonstration at the party headquarters here on Tuesday. Many party functionaries also claimed to have submitted their resignations.

The demonstrators said that if the leadership failed to concede their demand, the rest of the district functionaries would also resign.

The BJP's electoral defeat in Uttar Pradesh seems to have had a telling effect on the party discipline. During the Assembly elections, many partymen had campaigned against the official nominees in a number of districts. And the State disciplinary committee recommended action against as many as five MPs for working against party interests. The State BJP president, Kalraj Mishra, has already dissolved the organisational units in 18 districts. These districts had become the centre of indiscipline during the elections and it was considered necessary to overhaul the party machinery.

The revolt by Chandramani Singh has forced the BJP leadership to take a second look at its overall approach to discipline. The revolt does not augur well for the future of the coalition Government in the State. The combined strength of the partners — the BSP, the BJP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal — is 199 in the Assembly which has a total of 399 members. Smaller parties like the Janata Dal (United), the Loktantrik Congress Party and the Independents, who had written to the Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, extending their support to Ms. Mayawati have still not become a part of the Government.

Reports also suggest that resentment is brewing in the ranks of the RLD over the preference given by the Union Minister, Ajit Singh, to Anuradha Chaudhary, who has been appointed Cabinet Minister.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

Stories in this Section

U.P. BJP MLA defiant