Other States - Gujarat   

Advani cautions dissidents

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 10 . As pressure was brought to bear on the Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership by dissidents in Gujarat who are targeting the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, the BJP president, L.K. Advani, advised them not air their grievances in front of the media.

The issue came up at the BJP parliamentary party meeting this morning, at which several MPs from Gujarat were present, including the former Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, who is in the Rajya Sabha.

Mr. Patel has become the rallying point for dissidence against Mr. Modi and yesterday in Ahmedabad a large number of MLAs reportedly met at his house.

Mr. Advani is also reported to have advised the disgruntled MLAs not to come to Delhi till March 17. Apparently, he does not want to open another front while he is battling to get a National Democratic Alliance government installed in Jharkhand.

Not indiscipline

A senior BJP leader from Gujarat, said: "we have a strength of 128 BJP MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly and more than 60 MLAs are part of the dissident group. After all, if MLAs have some grievance whom should they talk to? At yesterday's meeting [in Ahmedabad] the MLAs committed no act of indiscipline as they were airing their views in front of senior party leaders [indicating Kashiram Rana, Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta].''

The BJP's central leadership has conveyed to the dissidents that they would be heard and their grievances sorted out. But the dissidents pointed out that the matter was discussed at length on the sidelines of the party's Mumbai national executive last year, but after promising to change his style of functioning, Mr. Modi had done nothing about it.

The state of affairs is such that for over a year the State party president has not been elected. Rajendrasinh Rana is continuing in the post for almost two years. Several positions in the Council of Ministers are vacant as also the chairmanships of various corporations.

One-man rule

The dissidents have charged Mr. Modi with ignoring the party altogether, insulting MLAs and imposing a one-man rule in the State.

Even the State Home Minister, Gordhan Zadaphia, who was a key aide of Mr. Modi at the time of the Gujarat riots, has now joined the dissidents.

"No one can work with Mr. Modi for too long," a party leader from Gujarat said here, pointing out that Mr. Modi was at one time "close to" Mr. Patel, but now the two were arch rivals.

Kashiram Rana, Surat MP, told reporters that it was "an internal family problem of the BJP and would be sorted out inside the family." Less than a year ago the senior party leadership during Venkaiah Naidu's tenure, almost made up its mind to ask Mr. Modi to step down. But after the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, indicated in Manali that he favoured Mr. Modi's resignation, the Advani camp consolidated in favour of Mr. Modi's continuance.Once again dissidents have become active, and although they are not openly talking about a leadership change in Gujarat, Mr. Modi is certainly their target.

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

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Advani cautions dissidents
Opposition wants Modi to go

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu