Cracking the whip, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday served show cause notices on Uma Bharti and other legislators, who walked out of the Madhya Pradesh legislature party meeting, asking why they should not be expelled from the party even as it suspended her supporters, including Prahlad Patel, with immediate effect.
BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan, who was also one of the party's central observers at the meeting held on Monday to elect Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its leader, asked party workers not to participate in the firebrand leader's padyatra to Ayodhya as it was not 'authorised'.
Without naming Bharti, Mahajan said the show cause notices have been issued to the MLAs and they have to respond to it within 72 hours. He, however, said since they were legislators, a final decision regarding them would be taken by the Central Parliamentary Board, after studying the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee.
The Central Parliamentary Board would meet next week to take a final decision, he said.
Asked about the charges against them, he said, despite being a 'handful', they caused obstacles in the Legislature Party meeting and did not allow its smooth conduct.
He said the state unit has decided to suspend, with immediate effect, six activists for their conduct and action outside the meeting venue. They include former Union minister and close Bharti associate Prahlad Patel besides Mahendra Singh Yadav, Shailendra Sharma, Sudhir Aggarwal, Shiv Shankar Pateria and Saitan Singh.
They have also been served show cause notices, asking why they be not expelled from the party. Referring to the 'so-called yatra' undertaken by Bharti, he said it was not authorised by the party and activists were expected to participate only in programmes decided by the BJP.
He said even party activists in Madhya Pradesh will not take part in the 'personal programme'. The usage of the party flag in the Yatra was also 'wrong' and the party would think over what action can be taken on it, he said.
Asked about Bharti's charge that party President L K Advani, Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have violated party discipline, the BJP general secretary said sarcastically, "But humko kahein kafir, Allah ki marzi." (If idols call us infidels, then it is God's wish.)
On her assertion that she was the 'real BJP', he said, "If tomorrow, somebody considers herself Mother India, what can I do. If somebody considers the hat on the head as crown, nothing can be done."
To a query about Bharti's charge that the appointment of the chief minister was 'undemocratic', Mahajan said, "All democracy works within the confines of the Constitution. Under Article 25, the Central Parliamentary Board is authorised to appoint the chief minister. It has been done in the case of Uma Bharti, as also with regard to Gujarat and Rajasthan".
He termed a 'blatant lie', Bharti's claim that about 100 MLAs had stood up against Chouhan at the meeting. Mahajan also claimed that three of the MLAs who had walked out along with Bharti have apologised to the party and the Disciplinary Committee will decide on them.
The senior BJP leader also announced that Chouhan will take oath alone and the ministry will be expanded after consultations with state and central leaders.