BJP heads for major crisis
The Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be inching towards a major crisis following the BJP leadership's decision to retain Sahib Singh Verma as Delhi chief minister.
Protesting against the decision, former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana resigned as party vice-president even as two of his supporters tried to immolate themselves.
As the murky drama unfolded with claims and counter-claims being made by both sides, Khurana told the media on Friday that he was a victim of his loyalty to the party. ''Loyalty is over-demanding. Even unfairness and injustice has to be suffered.... It also demands that I suffer and serve. I shall continue to do that as an ordinary worker of the party.''
In his resignation letter addressed to party president Lal Kishinchand Advani, Khurana made it clear that he would continue to work for the party as a loyal soldier.
Khurana alleged that Advani and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had decided to retain Verma as chief minister without eliciting the legislators's opinion. This makes it clear that though the court has ''exonerated me in the hawala case the party still considers me an accused. Therefore, I am resigning from the vice-presidentship and as in charge of party's affairs in Punjab and Rajasthan.''
Khurana said he was not happy at the manner in which the
party leadership changed its decision. Only on August 2, he revealed both
Verma and he were summoned by Advani and Vajpayee and told that they were considering a third person for the chief
ministership.
''I had accepted the decision. But on Thursday they
suddenly changed the decision, apparently because of threats by Verma and his supporters that there would be turmoil in Delhi. The leadership succumbed to pressure,'' the former Delhi CM said.
Khurana clarified that he had not resigned because the party leadership had not restored him as chief minister. If it had
been so he would have resigned on August 2 itself when he was
told the chief ministership would go to a third person. BJP spokesman K L Sharma has, however, denied that Advani and Vajpayee had taken such a decision.
''The past 18 months have been the most tense period of my
four-decade-long political career. I was subjected to a
baseless prosecution,'' Khurana said.
Both Advani and Vajpayee, Khurana said, spoke to him
on Friday morning, but declined to disclose what had transpired between them. He added that he had declined an offer that he would be made chief minister when an assembly election was called next winter.
Asked why he was so eager to become chief minister,
Khurana said there was no case against him. Quoting a Karnataka high court verdict, he said a legislator is not a public servant.
As he was only a legislator when he had allegedly received some money from the Jain brothers in the hawala scam, he need not have resigned. Though Congress leader S Tajdar Babbar's name was also mentioned in the Jain brothers's diary, no case had been initiated against her to date. Babbar is the deputy chairperson of the assembly.
In fact, the CBI had closed the case, saying the two were
not public servants. But the case was opened by the CBI at the behest of then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, Khurana alleged.
He maintained that a majority of legislators in the Delhi assembly were still with him.
If the party leadership had sought their views, Khurana said, it would have never
decided in Verma's favour.
Asked why he was against Verma, the former chief minister claimed he had nothing against his successor. But he asked, ''Doesn't an injured captain get back his place when he returns to the field?''
Asked why he had not resigned his membership of
the party, Khurana said, ''I joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
when I was eight years old. I am a loyal soldier of the party and continue to work for it. I can never be another Vaghela.''
In which case, why did he resign from the party post, one journalist inquired. ''I am not well. I am mentally tired and need rest,'' he said.
The BJP leadership requested Khurana to ''reconsider'' his decision.
Confirming that he has received Khurana's resignation letter, Advani said, ''I have asked him to reconsider his decision, which I think is an
impestuous reaction to the party's decision to retain Verma as chief minister.''
Vajpayee echoed similar views and said Khurana was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the party in Delhi during the elections.
''The decision clearly shows that Khurana enjoys the
confidence of the party. Therefore, he should continue as a
dedicated worker of the party,'' Vajpayee added.
In another development, two Khurana supporters tried self-immolation
on Friday morning at the former chief minister's home in West Delhi. The two supporters were among the hundreds who assembled to protest against the decision to retain Verma as chief minister.
As the two supporters doused themselves with kerosene and rushed to the room where Khurana was holding a media conference, the former CM asked them not to do anything which would tarnish his image even as policemen foiled their bid.
But hundreds of Khurana's supporters who thronged the room were in a belligerent mood. They said they had been quiet all these months
and would not be quiet now. ''We will force the party to do justice
to our leader. Khuranaji sangarsh karo, hum tumhare saath hai (keep up your fight, we are with you),'' they said.
Khurana said he was under great strain and asked his supporters to leave the room.
Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader said more than 35 legislators, comprising the bulk of the party MLAs, met at Verma's home and unanimously passed a resolution to work unitedly. Among the absentees at the meeting were Khurana, O P Babbar, Vinod Sharma, Brahm Singh Tanwar, Madan Lal Gaba and Jagdish Lal Batra.
UNI
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