Says Rajnath is an ace blunderer, entire leadership need replacing
In this season of crisis for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior leader Arun Shourie today virtually asked for his removal from the party, as he openly lambasted its high command,with specific reference to party chief Rajnath Singh.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Shourie, a Rajya Sabha member, said the entire BJP leadership must be replaced with leaders from the states and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) must take over the party to save it from further rot. He called the present day BJP a ‘kati patang’, (a kite with its strings snapped) and said the RSS must exercise its moral authority over it.
However, Shourie, once believed to be close to the L K Advani camp, named only Rajnath Singh and accused him of bringing the party to such a pass. He called Singh ‘Alice in blunderland’, ‘Dumpty dumpty’, and ‘Tarzan’. And accused him of leaking letters written by party members to journalists and of being ineffective in tackling the issues raised by party members.
BJP sources said they were “expecting such behaviour from Shourie, since he was not expecting the party to nominate him for another term in the Rajya Sabha”. Shourie’s term in the Rajya Sabha is ending soon.
Reacting to the interview, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, BJP spokesperson, said “Shourie was trying to pre-empt the disciplinary action the party had been contemplating against him.” And that “Shourie’s remarks were totally unacceptable and the party would take action against him.”
Shourie’s likely expulsion from the party would come in the latest of a series of expulsions and resignations, the most recent being Jaswant Singh and Sudheendra Kulkarni, who once held important positions,
Shourie’s open criticism of the BJP’s management of elections through his writings in newspapers, had irked the party. As a result, he had been almost sidelined from all decision-making bodies.
In the interview, Shourie confirmed expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s account of the post-Gujarat riots’ crisis within the BJP.
He said prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had wanted to resign and after he was dissuaded from doing so, he had called for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s resignation. And, Shourie said, even Modi had offered to quit but it was “sabotaged under an orchestrated plan and there was a chorus of protests over it”.
It is pathetic to note that the rumblings going on presently in the BJP where BJP stalwarts, one after another, are openly criticising and indulging in mud-slinging on the BJP top leadership are indicative of gloomy future of BJP which has now become 'Bhartiya Jinnah Party'. Having tasted the Ministership during the hey days of BJP during its six years rule, the disgruntelled lot in the BJP are now finding it hard to face the dilemma being out of any top government position. The disunity, infighting and blame-game presently going on in the BJP leadership leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
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In this season of crisis for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior leader Arun Shourie today virtually asked for his removal from the party, as he openly lambasted its high command,with specific reference to party chief Rajnath Singh.
