By L S Herdenia
BHOPAL: On the eve of Lok Sabha elections strange
things are happening in both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.
Deepak
Bavaria, AICC in-charge, has announced his resolve to initiate contempt
proceedings against his party leaders. Bavaria made this announcement while
speaking at a party conclave. Upset over bribery charges, Bavaria said that he
would file a case against a ticket seeker who had alleged that he had taken
money for giving tickets.
“I
didn’t want to work in Madhya Pradesh for various reasons, but AICC president
Rahul Gandhi has asked me to remain in the state till Lok Sabha elections,”
said a visibly offended Congress leader, while speaking at the party’s OBC
convention here on Monday.
In
the convention held in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, many leaders,
including Congress Working Committee member Arun Yadav, deputy speaker Hina
Kawre, member of parliament Rajmani Patel and others, were present.
“People
are levelling false allegations that I took money for giving assembly tickets.
I am hurt and I wanted to leave the state, but the AICC national president
Rahul Gandhi insisted on my stay,” said an emotionally charged Congress leader.
“Two
ticket seekers had accused me of accepting money; while one has sought apology
for his remarks, the other person has still not apologised, said Bavaria,
adding “I will drag him to court for his false statement”.
“I am
also held responsible for defeat of four candidates but all of them have
clarified the reason for losing the seats” said Bavaria. ”I have tolerated
insult and humiliation for one year but kept going with only one mission and
that was to form a Congress government in Madhya Pradesh” Bavaria added.
Addressing
a crowd at the Gandhi Bhavan auditorium, Bavaria alleged, “Some people with
vested interest send men to manhandle me, abuse me in public. But I hail from
Gandhi’s Gujarat. Even if you put a gun to my head I will still say what I
believe because I have no stake other than the benefit of the Congress party”.
Bavaria’s
emotional outburst comes a week after Sashank Bhargav, Congress MLA from
Vidisha, alleged that because of Deepak Bavaria, the Congress lost four seats
in Vidisha district. Bhargava also alleged corruption while speaking in a party
internal meeting and said the AICC general secretary should be sent back to
Gujarat.
Not
just this, earlier last year Deepak Bavaria was roughed up in a rest house in
Rewa after he told reporters there that either Kamal Nath or Jyotiraditya
Scindia would be chief minister if the Congress party came to power in the
state. A group of Congress workers entered his room after his press conference
and manhandled him. Bavaria also courted controversy within the state Congress
after he said that those who lost the assembly elections will not get tickets
to contest Lok Sabha.
State
Congress remained tight-lipped after Bavaria’s emotional outbreak. No one
wanted to comment on the senior leader and what he accused party leaders and
workers of.
Similarly, BJP found itself in a highly embarrassing
situation when one of its veteran leaders declared: “I am a warrior, I know how
to wage my battle”. This declaration of war has been made by Dr. Ram Krishna
Kusmaria, many time MP, MLA and minister, who was denied party ticket for the
recently held Vidhan Sabha elections. After denial of ticket he contested the
election as an independent from two Vidhan Sabha constituencies but lost. He
blamed BJP for his defeat. On Monday (January 28) he met former chief minister
Babulal Gaur and shared his agony with him. Kusmaria told Gaur that he was not
only denied ticket but was also humiliated by the party leadership. Gaur
himself caused a sensation when he disclosed that he has been offered Lok Sabha
ticket by the Congress. Asked about his response he said that so far he has
neither accepted nor rejected the offer.
Meanwhile, Sardar
Sartaj Singh in a statement has held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible
for the BJP’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Sartaj
Singh, it may be recalled, fought election on the Congress ticket and lost. He
is a many-times MP, MLA, Central and state Minister. He left BJP after he was
denied ticket for the Vidhan Sabha elections. He predicted that if Babulal Gaur
contests Lok Sabha election from Bhopal the BJP will lose.
Both the parties have
initiated consultation about the strategy to be adopted for the May Lok Sabha
elections. For example, BJP has decided not to field Rajya Sabha members and
losers in the Assembly elections for the Lok Sabha.
Sources in BJP
disclosed that a recent internal survey cum-feedback by the party has concluded
that the BJP may again get a shocking result in the Lok Sabha elections. This
is because several MPs who had won in 2014 riding on Modi wave are unlikely to
retain their seats this time. It was also observed that without involving MLAs,
who had won the assembly elections with a considerable margin, the party would
not succeed in retaining the 26 seats in the state in the final battle to bring
Modi back to power.
“The recently concluded
poll meetings revealed that the leadership is unwilling to field the Rajya
Sabha members or sitting MLAs and former ministers who have lost assembly
elections. There are several losers lobbying for LS ticket but the party has
decided to field new names,” said a senior state BJP functionary.
As far as Congress is
concerned, winnability will be the only criterion for the selection of
candidates. A meeting of Congress observers for 29 Lok Sabha constituencies
apprised that there was no criterion for selection of candidates for the
general elections other than ‘winnability’ of the candidate.
The meeting held on
Sunday evening at PCC headquarter here was presided over by state Congress
president and chief minister Kamal Nath and attended by Deepak Bavaria. The
observes were told that they should try to shortlist three names from each
constituency after which the party would conduct a survey on the possibility of
their victory. Names would also be suggested by the party on the basis of
survey to examine the possibility of their victory. (IPA Service)
The post Tantrum-Throwing AICC Official Puts Party In A Fix appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
