Political crisis in Uttarakhand; rebels want to change CM

NI Wire

New Delhi

Mon, 11 Aug 2008: 

The infighting – the biggest dread for the political parties – hit again in Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and this time in Uttarakhand where a group of 26 displeased BJP Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) met party president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Sunday reportedly complaining against Chief Minier (CM) of Uttarakhand B C Khanduri for his ‘autocratic’ attitude.

A team of 26 MLAs including 5 ministers in the leadership of former CM and State Party President Bhagat Singh Koshiyari met BJP national party president for notifying their grievance against the ‘isolationist’ behaviour of CM Khanduri with party members and ministers and also press the top seat to depose the CM from the post if party wants to save the seat in the next Lok Sabha election, as per sources.

Later, the rebels also met Senior Party leader Lal Krishna Advani to reiterate their demand and to replace Khanduri with Koshiyari, who as per dissidents claim, had sweated for the party, but Advani had overlooked the performance and strength of Koshiyari in the assembly election and recommended to form Khanduri as Chief Minister of the state, who was then member of Lok Sabha.

Gen. (Retd) Khanduri on the other hand, also met deputy leader in Rajya Sabha- the upper house- to reply the encounter and to clarify him in this fire-fighting act on Sunday. Earlier, he had also met to L K Advani on Saturday to inform him about the political development in the state.

According to report, Party high command has assured the rebels to take an appropriate action over their complaints and have also reportedly summoned Khanduri in this regard.

Giving the example of recent Lok Sabha by-election, the dissidents have warned the BJP top commands about the shrink of victory margin of BJP over Congress only because of the high handling behaviour of CM Khanduri and his officials. ‘If Party will not take any strict measure, the ongoing Panchayat election may be doomed for the party’, warned rebels to Rajnath.

They (rebels) have also reportedly claimed that the members of CM office have pumped him high by describing him as ‘Super CM’ and created a wall between the CM and the remaining members of party, which has made him ‘inaccessible’ for the party members that is not a good sign for the fate of the party.

But, on the other hand, a close source to CM has informed that some of the MLAs were displeased over the order of CM to end the red light culture of the previous government.

There are 34 BJP MLAs in the 70-member House supported by three additional non-BJP MLAs.