Advani blogs Gadkari’s report card
1 Jun 2012 3:22 AM GMT
The rift in the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) widened further on Thursday, with the senior leader L K Advani slamming the decisions taken under the party president Nitin Gadkari.
On Thursday, Advani wrote in his blog, 'The results in Uttar Pradesh, the manner in which the party welcomed BSP Ministers who were removed by Mayawatiji on charges of corruption, the party’s handling of Jharkhand and Karnataka all these events have undermined the party’s campaign against corruption.'
In the run up to the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh this year, Gadkari had inducted Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former minister in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government. Kushwaha was expelled by Mayawati after his name figured in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Advani and Sushma Swaraj had expressed reservations over Kushwaha's entry in the party and later his membership was put on hold by the BJP.
Expressing that the mood within the party these days is not upbeat, Advani in his blog said 'However, when these days media-persons attack the UPA Government for its string of scams, but at the same time regret that the BJP led NDA is not rising to the occasion, I, as a former pressman myself, feel they are reflecting public opinion correctly.' Advani had expressed the same opinion in the recently concluded BJP's two-day national executive meet in Mumbai, saying that the party was unable to pull its act together.
The rivalry between Gadkari and Advani was evident in the national executive meet in Mumbai, with Advani skipping a rally that was intended to put a united face of the party. In the national meet, the senior leader had also skipped the session where the resolution was passed to change the party's constitution that paved the way for Gadkari's second term as president. The veteran leader also missed a meeting on Thursday that was held at Gadkari's residence to assess the impact of all-India shutdown against the petrol price hike.
While Advani has criticised the decisions taken by Gadkari, he has praised the performance of Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj in both the houses of Parliament.
The BJP, in recent times, has been seeing one crisis after another. The former chief minister of Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa has become a permanent headache for the party and it seems that the BJP has no solution in sight to end this problem. Yeddyurappa was removed from his post last year after he was indicted in a report on illegal mining. Since then he has threatened the party about five times to reinstate him as the chief minister of the state.
Now with elections due in the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh this year, the party has an uphill task and Advani in his blog has called for an introspection within the party. Advani in his blog wrote that the BJP is in power in nine states today, but this is no compensation for the lapses committed.
'I had said at the Core Group meeting that if people are today angry with the UPA Government, they are also disappointed with us. The situation, I said, calls for introspection.' said Advani in his blog.
On Thursday, Advani wrote in his blog, 'The results in Uttar Pradesh, the manner in which the party welcomed BSP Ministers who were removed by Mayawatiji on charges of corruption, the party’s handling of Jharkhand and Karnataka all these events have undermined the party’s campaign against corruption.'
In the run up to the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh this year, Gadkari had inducted Babu Singh Kushwaha, a former minister in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government. Kushwaha was expelled by Mayawati after his name figured in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam. Advani and Sushma Swaraj had expressed reservations over Kushwaha's entry in the party and later his membership was put on hold by the BJP.
Expressing that the mood within the party these days is not upbeat, Advani in his blog said 'However, when these days media-persons attack the UPA Government for its string of scams, but at the same time regret that the BJP led NDA is not rising to the occasion, I, as a former pressman myself, feel they are reflecting public opinion correctly.' Advani had expressed the same opinion in the recently concluded BJP's two-day national executive meet in Mumbai, saying that the party was unable to pull its act together.
The rivalry between Gadkari and Advani was evident in the national executive meet in Mumbai, with Advani skipping a rally that was intended to put a united face of the party. In the national meet, the senior leader had also skipped the session where the resolution was passed to change the party's constitution that paved the way for Gadkari's second term as president. The veteran leader also missed a meeting on Thursday that was held at Gadkari's residence to assess the impact of all-India shutdown against the petrol price hike.
While Advani has criticised the decisions taken by Gadkari, he has praised the performance of Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj in both the houses of Parliament.
The BJP, in recent times, has been seeing one crisis after another. The former chief minister of Karnataka B S Yeddyurappa has become a permanent headache for the party and it seems that the BJP has no solution in sight to end this problem. Yeddyurappa was removed from his post last year after he was indicted in a report on illegal mining. Since then he has threatened the party about five times to reinstate him as the chief minister of the state.
Now with elections due in the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh this year, the party has an uphill task and Advani in his blog has called for an introspection within the party. Advani in his blog wrote that the BJP is in power in nine states today, but this is no compensation for the lapses committed.
'I had said at the Core Group meeting that if people are today angry with the UPA Government, they are also disappointed with us. The situation, I said, calls for introspection.' said Advani in his blog.
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