The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP MLAs irked

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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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New Delhi

BJP MLAs irked

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Leadership fails to get Independent MLA along in Presidential poll

NEW DELHI: The inability of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature group in Delhi to elicit the support of independent MLA Ranbir Singh Kharab for supporting Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the Presidential election on Thursday has irked some of the party MLAs.

These MLAs insist that while Mr. Kharab was keen on going along with the BJP in voting for Mr. Shekhawat, the party leaders showed no interest whatsoever in persuading him to come along. “Mr. Kharab had told us that he would be keen to be seen with the BJP on the issue. But though we communicated his feelings to the party leadership, the leaders showed no interest in the matter,” said an MLA. Asserting that the party should come out of its shell and reach out to the masses, the MLA said not only was the party working from behind closed doors it also failed to take up important issues like the Blueline bus crisis that rocked the city. There are a number of senior leaders in the legislature group, but none of them seemed inclined to take up the cause of the people and the party in the manner it should be, he charged.

Admitting that Mr. Kharab’s vote may not be of great consequence in the polls, the MLA said the issue was not one of vote but of the overall manner in which the party has been conducting its work in Delhi. “But we have been missing out on one opportunity after another,” he said.

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