The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP MLA suspended after clash with Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 07, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

BJP MLA suspended after clash with Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, JAN. 6. The outspoken Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Sriganganagar, Surendra Singh Rathore, has been suspended from the party after a wordy duel between him and a Minister from the area at a meeting in the district town on Wednesday.

A vocal critic of the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje, Mr.Rathore had locked horns with Surendrapal Singh, the Minister of State for Agriculture, following which the supporters of both had physically fought among themselves.

The meeting was convened to formulate a strategy for the forthcoming panchayat elections for the district but trouble started when Mr.Rathore made some caustic remarks about the deaths of six persons in police action during the recent farmers' agitation for water in the area.

Mr.Rathore, who has a Janata Dal background, had earlier also spoken openly against the way in which the Raje Government handled the farmers agitation.

Though that time the differences were temporarily ironed out after he met Ms.Raje personally, the resentment seemingly was continuing even after the truce the Government had later with the farmers.

This time around the party leadership acted promptly as the entire team of office bearers of the district, who included MLAs Ashok Nagpal and O.P.Mahendra, threatened to resign. In the State capital, the State BJP president, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, today termed the suspension as a disciplinary action taken after finding "prima facie'' case against Mr.Rathore.

Both the camps have charged the other side of making a pre-planned assault. Mr.Rathore said the Minister's side had brought certain strangers to the meeting. The very fact that there had been some 200-250 persons in a meeting of the office bearers of the district itself was reason to believe that everything was stage-managed. Mr.Mahendra, however, defending Mr.Singh, alleged that Mr.Rathore's supporters would have attacked the Minister but for their timely intervention.

Even as Mr.Rathore chose to keep a low profile today, Mr.Singh, addressing media persons in Hanumangarh town said the charges against the former would be inquired into by the party within the next six days before a final decision is taken on the suspension.

He also reminded Mr.Rathore that he (Mr.Rathore) had fought election to the State Assembly unsuccessfully three times. "Only with a BJP ticket this time, he managed to enter the State Assembly,'' Mr.Singh pointed out.

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