Manoj Tiwari set to sack Mahila Morcha president

New Delhi: Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari is set to sack its Mahila Morcha president Poonam Jha, after his office received a complaint against her and her husband, days after some women councillors of the saffron party got into a scuffle at a public event in North West Delhi's Kirari area.

The complaint was moved by five of BJP's Mandal unit presidents and two women councilors and also been sent to the party's Assembly poll-in charge and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and national vice president Shyam Jaju, who is also in charge of the Delhi unit.

Reacting to the complaint, BJP Mahila Morcha president Poonam Jha said, "I will reply to senior party leaders if they question me over the complaint, with her husband adding that they are "disciplined" party workers and claiming that the complaint was motivated by the upcoming assembly polls in the Capital.

The scuffle that the complaint refers to took place last Sunday at a party event in Kirari and allegedly involved Poonam, Urmila Chaudhary and Sona Chaudhary. The former Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay was also present at the event. A party source claimed that such scuffles are breaking out frequently because some leaders are "desperate" for a party ticket in the upcoming polls, as they are sure of a BJP victory.

The complaint seeks "stern action" from Tiwari against the Jha couple alleging that "they (Poonam and her husband) have been threatening us by name-dropping senior leaders of the party". Poonam's husband, Anil Jha, a former Kirari MLA said that the complaint was filed by "vested interests". "Such things happen when elections approach. We are disciplined party members and ready to face any inquiry," he said.

A BJP source said that such incidents are a clear indicator of some leaders' "desperation" for tickets. On the day of the Kirari incident, BJP office-bearers had clashed before senior party leader Dushyant Gautam in Gokalpur. A complaint of misbehaviour has also been lodged against a senior Delhi BJP leader by a party worker from Rajender Nagar.

BJP leaders from Kirari have already met Tiwari, Jaju and Delhi BJP's organisation secretary Sidharthan, threatening to go on an indefinite fast if action is not taken against the Jha couple. Many leaders are buoyed by the party's recent Lok Sabha poll victory and by their belief that the image of PM Narendra Modi will help them win their seats, a senior party leader said.