Lucknow, Jan.20 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party lost another stalwart on Tuesday in the form of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.
Singh resigned from the party, complaining of humiliation and suffocation. He claimed that he should have been accorded the respect that leaders with a huge public following deserve.
Addressing journalists in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, Singh opted to publicly explain his agony through media.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party has insulted me. I have never felt so humiliated [in my political career] as I have been feeling today. I have learnt from my reliable sources that a meeting of the core group was held in Delhi and it was decided that I should be shown the exit door. Returning to BJP earlier, I think, was a mistake," Singh said.
Kalyan blamed the BJP for sidelining its leaders who have enjoyed huge public support.
"Leaders like Madan Lal Khurana in Delhi, Uma Bharati in Madhya Pradesh and Babu Lal Marandi in Jharkhand and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in Rajasthan had huge public support. But still all of them have been sidelined by the BJP," said Kalyan Singh while offering his full support to Shekhawat in his fight against corruption and "I am also with him on this issue."
"It is people to see that a leader (like himself) who has the potential of winning 60 MPs in elections is being meted out such a treatment by the party. The leaders who have nurtured the party, they are being sidelined," Singh added.
"But, let me also admit, that "yes" there has been a meeting involving Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh, Amar Singh, Rajju Bhaiya and myself. But neither am I going to join any political party nor form a new party. All I can say (about the meet) that I have formed new friendship. But I have not got into any sort of agreement with anyone. I am not going to join any party," said the Kalyan Singh while adding that "if at all I had to contest an election it would be from Etah".
Forecasting the fate of BJP in the wake of upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Kalyan said: "At present, Indian politics is divided into two segments-the Congress-led UPA and BJP-led NDA. And, I don't see the BJP-led segment is able to form government in the coming elections."
Asked if could reconsider his decision to quit party if Atal Behari Vajpayee tomorrow asked him to, Kalyan Singh said: "I have quit the party forever. But I still maintain deep "Shraddha"(respect) for Atalji. In case, Atalji decides to contest from Lucknow constituency, I would still support him despite not being in the BJP."
Replying to a query that if he informed senior BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee before taking his decision, Kalyan Singh said: "No, I haven't. But I hope he would come to know about it."
The firebrand Lodhi leader has been a major support for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the State, largely divided between Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party. (ANI)
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