Sources said in an effort to deny party ticket to the present leader of opposition in state assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the Goel faction got it conveyed to the Punjabi veteran that since he was over eighty years in age his candidature could not be considered.
Unable to take the affront, Malhotra, who was also deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha between 2004-2008, took the matter up with the party high command and complained about the way Goel and in-charge for Delhi poll Nitin Gadkari was trying to run rough shod over everyone else. When Malhotra realised there were not many ready to redress his complaint, he is believed to have said ‘age factor’ should apply to one and all.
‘If candidature of Vijay Kumar Malhotra is not to be considered for the matters of age, the same should apply for other leaders (read likes of Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi) as well. Why should he be picked alone for retirement,’ said a BJP leader privy to the development.
A senior party leader said: ‘It’s sad that the party is once again caught in the midst of a debate which it could have avoided ahead of the upcoming assembly polls and the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. With confusion prevailing over the chief ministerial candidate of the party for the national Capital, faction fights have intensified and they are now spilling over to national domain.’
Unable to take the affront, Malhotra, who was also deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha between 2004-2008, took the matter up with the party high command and complained about the way Goel and in-charge for Delhi poll Nitin Gadkari was trying to run rough shod over everyone else. When Malhotra realised there were not many ready to redress his complaint, he is believed to have said ‘age factor’ should apply to one and all.
‘If candidature of Vijay Kumar Malhotra is not to be considered for the matters of age, the same should apply for other leaders (read likes of Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi) as well. Why should he be picked alone for retirement,’ said a BJP leader privy to the development.
A senior party leader said: ‘It’s sad that the party is once again caught in the midst of a debate which it could have avoided ahead of the upcoming assembly polls and the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. With confusion prevailing over the chief ministerial candidate of the party for the national Capital, faction fights have intensified and they are now spilling over to national domain.’