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Advani warns dissidents of disciplinary action

JAIPUR: Left red-faced by continued boycott of the party’s State executive meeting at Mandaphia in Chittorgarh by a group of party leaders, including seven Ministers on the second day on Saturday, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani warned the dissidents of strong disciplinary action.

“Let the internal differences among the party leaders remain within the party forum. They can be resolved through discussions. The party should not be made to suffer due to political ambitions of individual leaders,” said Mr. Advani, who addressed the opening session of the concluding day’s meeting. Most of the party leaders in Rajasthan opposed to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje stayed away from the meeting.

Though there were expectations that at least some of the warring leaders might turn up in the temple town of Sanwaliaji (Mandaphia) as a token of respect to Mr. Advani, that hope too was belied. The embarrassment was obvious. The BJP leader in charge of Rajasthan, Gopinath Munde, said: “The BJP State executive is not a school where one needs to take attendance. The party workers should give importance to what transpires in the sessions and the resolutions passed.”

Those who boycotted the session completely included Cabinet Ministers G. C. Kataria, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Narpat Singh Rajvi, Madan Dilwar, Kanakmal Katara, Kirorilal Meena and Vasudev Devnani. A host of senior party men, including former State unit presidents L. K. Chaturvedi, Raghuveer Kaushal and party chief whip Mahaveer Prasad Jain did not attend the meeting.

“The party is good to those who behave. If anyone tries to settle scores for personal reasons, he would have to face disciplinary action,” Mr. Advani, who refused to talk to journalists, warned party men.

“There is no limit to shortcomings when you look for them but they can be corrected and rectified,” he said.

All workers should ensure that their own personal ambitions do not harm the party’s interests, he said.

Mr. Advani also hinted that it was not those opposed to the leadership alone who would be subjected to the test of discipline. “All of you have to keep a restraint in your words and action. Internal differences spilling over to the public realm would only damage the image of the party,” he pointed out.

The BJP leader said the BJP-led Government in Rajasthan was doing a good job but that alone would not guarantee good results in the elections. “What is the party image in public is also an equally important factor,” he pointed out.

Mr. Advani, who in his address termed Manmohan Singh as the “weakest” Prime Minister the country ever had, said even Deve Gowda, who was considered a “weak” Prime Minister, had upheld the prestige of the post.

“Manmohan Singh himself has said he was a frustrated and helpless person,” Mr. Advani observed. The United Progressive Alliance Government was being forced to pursue dual economic and foreign policies under pressure from the Left parties, he charged.

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