Barely had the BJP stemmed the infighting in Maharashtra when dissidents in the party’s Bihar unit raised their ugly heads again.
NEW DELHI: Barely had the BJP stemmed the infighting in Maharashtra when dissidents in the party’s Bihar unit raised their ugly heads again. The attempts of the party’s top leadership to contain the rebellion against Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi have come a cropper.
The BJP parliamentary board decided on Wednesday to put off any firm action to resolve the party’s problems in Bihar till after the Karnataka elections. Thursday, however, saw rebels continuing to hold meetings and lobbying for Modi’s removal.
They reportedly again met party president Rajnath Singh to press their demand and also had a meeting with senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
A senior leader involved in Bihar affairs disclosed that “all options”, including sending a strong message to deputy chief minister Modi, were open. So far, there is no clear solution in sight, though. Another senior leader said Modi was close to the dominant camp in the central leadership, which is in a quandary with this rebellion. “They are hesitant to support Modi and reluctant to remove him,” he said.
The simmering discontent in Bihar became serious after a cabinet reshuffle by chief minister Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United) in which several old BJP hands were given the short shrift, allegedly at Modi’s behest.
A large group of BJP leaders is angry over denial of ministerial berths to party loyalists and the accommodation of Modi’s cronies as ministers. Unhappy with the changes, a large number of dissidents have since threatened to split the BJP. The number of rebels is said to have crossed 30.
The grouse against Modi is also that he has come strongly under the influence of Nitish Kumar to the extent of undermining BJP interests. BJP sources pointed out that in the last few years, the JD(U) had grown in Bihar at the expense of their party, and blamed Modi for it. The reshuffle was the “last straw”.
Sources said the parliamentary board meeting here discussed Modi. But as any action would possibly have a short-term adverse fallout, a decision was put off.
s_rajesh@dnaindia.net
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