The Hindu : Front Page : Marandi quits BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 18, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Marandi quits BJP

Neena Vyas

This time he has gone too far, says Rajnath Singh

Babulal Marandi

NEW DELHI : The Bharatiya Janata Party is in a crisis following the expected resignation of senior leader and Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Babulal Marandi, from primary membership.

Till late this evening, the party office maintained that his resignation had not been received although copies of his letter were circulated among reporters, and that he had sent to the Lok Sabha Secretariat a fax that would become effective only after he presented himself to the Speaker.

However, the leadership sees his exit as a fait accompli. "This time he [Babulal Marandi] has gone too far," BJP president Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday evening making it clear that the party was preparing to face his exit. Mr. Singh pointed out that after the last Assembly election, Mr. Marandi was offered Chief Ministership. "But he declined saying he did not want to run a coalition government with a thin majority."

Commenting on his opposition to Yadunath Pandey's appointment as the State unit president, Mr. Singh said the party could not accept that one person alone would be allowed to have his say on all matters.

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