The Hindu : Cong., BJP expel rebels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 23, 2003

Other States

Other States - Rajasthan

Cong., BJP expel rebels

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR NOV. 22. Both the ruling Congress and the main Opposition, the BJP in Rajasthan have finally wielded the axe against the scores of rebels from their parties who are staying put in the fray even after attempts at reconciliation.

The Congress on Thursday expelled 70 rebels for 6 years with the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Girija Vyas, issuing a statement, while the BJP followed suit by removing 53 of them.

More expulsions are likely in the coming days as the list of both the parties seems to be inconclusive. In some of the cases negotiations are continuing so that they can still retire in favour of the official nominees of the respective parties. The Congress list includes the names of Chandra Shekhar, Minister of State who had quit last week after denial of a party ticket to fight from Khairthal in Alwar district as an Independent, sitting MLAs, Nanakram Jagatrai(Ajmer West), Ashok Tanwar(Phagi), Kamla Meena(Sapotra), Lalaram Gharsia (Sirohi) and Ratnaram(Raniwara) who are fighting as Independents or on tickets of smaller parties.

The Congress has also shown the door to former Ministers, Ramdev Singh Maharia (Dhod), Shashi Dutta (Tibi) and former MLAs Gopal Joshi (Lunkaransar), Prabu Dayal (Sikrai), Rishikesh Meena (Sapotra), Heeralal (Bamanwas) and Shankar Lal (Kapasan). A few of the expelled rebels are party functionaries and former nominees like, Suresh Choudhary (Bhadra), Dula Ram (Raisinghnagar), Ramsahai Kankrolia(Amber) and O.P.Yadav (Mandawar).

Interacting with mediapersons on Friday, the Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, dismissed the role of party rebels in spoiling the chances of the official Congress nominees. ``Their presence will not make any difference. The people have made up their minds. The party workers also would come together in support of the official nominees,'' he asserted. Mr. Gehlot reiterated his stand that the denial of tickets to any sitting MLA or Minister did not reflect on their image or performance. It was not due to charges of corruption that the tickets had been denied to the sitting MLAs, he explained.

The BJP list of expelled rebels include the names of Vidhya Pathak, former Minister, who is fighting from Sanganer on the Rajasthan Samajik Nyaya Manch ticket against the party leader, Ghanshyam Tiwari.

The former Ministers, Sujan Singh Yadav (Behror) and Harlal Singh Kharra (Srimadhopur) are also in the category of party rebels under expulsion.

The sitting MLA and scion of the Bharatpur royal family, Arun Singh (Deeg), his cousin and former MP, Krishnendra Kaur (Nadbai) and former MLAs, Hansram Gujjar (Karauli), Dungarram Panwar (Tibi), Rampratap Kasnia (Pilibanga), Banwari Lal Bhinda (Fatehpur) Babu Lal Bacher (Dudu), Jialal Banshiwal (Dausa), Ujamraj Mehta (Beawar), Achlaram Meghwal (Desuri) and Tikam Chand Kant (Siwana) are in the expelled category now. The party has removed the Zila Pramukh of Jaipur, Madhu Sharma(Amber), Pratap Singh Kachariawas (Bani Park), who is the nephew of the Vice President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, from its primary membership.

It is evident that at places it suits both the Congress and the BJP to have rebels so that the votes of a particular community the rebels respectively represent — which otherwise would have gone to the other party — are neutralized.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cong., BJP expel rebels