New Delhi, June 16
Amid demand from a section of the BJP that all office-bearers should resign from their posts, articulated by Yashwant Sinha, the BJP
announced here today the resignation of its parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, from the general secretary’s post.
However, BJP President Rajnath Singh denied any connection between the resignation and the demand, disclosing that Jaitely, currently away in London, tendered his resignation from the party post, almost immediately after being appointed as leader of the parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha.
Rajnath said, “Jaitley resigned from his party post on the principle of one- man one-post, followed by the BJP.”
Party sources also confirmed this, saying Jaitley, who was appointed as Rajya Sabha leader on June 4, sent in his resignation
on June 6. He left for London, a couple of days after sending in his resignation letter to the party.
But insiders were wondering why Rajnath held back the announcement all these days and chose to publicise it only after Yashwant Sinha pressed for other leaders to follow his example. Last week Sinha resigned from all party posts, castigating the party leaders for maintaining a “conspiracy of silence.”
Sources suggested that though Rajnath was denying a correlation between Sinha’s demand and Jaitley’s resignation, he seemed to be cleaning the slate before the national executive meeting scheduled for June 20 and 21, where members could raise questions about these issues.
Meanwhile, the party president claimed that his warning of disciplinary action against those deriding the party publicly has had an impact. “See nobody is speaking after this,” said Rajnath today.
But this seems to have had little salutary effect upon Murli Manohar Joshi who made sarcastic remarks about Rajnath saying, “How can I say anything now, when the party President has sealed my lips.”
He was obviously unhappy with this and commented, “I never prevented anyone from making any
comments, when I was the BJP President.”
Asked to comment on fellow leader Sushma Swaraj’s remarks that the situation in the party was volcanic, he refused to say anything citing the party President’s “gag order.”
“Our party President has warned members against speaking on the situation inside the party before the media,” he said at a press conference in Allahabad.
Recalling his presidentship of the BJP, he said, “During my days things like these used to happen. Then I told everyone not to speak about this outside. Our colleagues always complied and I was never compelled to pass a gag order. Moreover, no one used to quit then,” said Joshi implicitly referring to Sinha’s resignation.
But he was on the same wavelength with Rajnath on Hindutva and relations with the RSS.
He said “The party cannot give up its ideology or break its relations with the RSS in the wake of electoral defeat.”
Speaking about Hindutva, he said, “Our party has its ideological roots in this very ancient way of life which we cannot give up just because our electoral performance was not up to the mark. Similarly, we can not distance ourselves from the Sangh Parivar. The BJP, ever since its inception, has been unequivocal about maintaining close ties with the RSS.”
He said, “Hindutva has extolled austerity, which encourages people to save money instead of spending.
It is this character of Indians that has enabled the country to sail through at a time when spendthrift economies are sinking.”
