BJP chief warns against infighting

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 4

National president of the BJP Amit Shah, whose two-day visit to Kangra concluded here today, reportedly warned the leaders against factionalism in the party.

Reliable sources told The Tribune that at a meeting late last evening, Amit Shah warned party leaders that he would not tolerate infighting and any leader, resorting to factionalism, would be dealt with strictly.

Sources said Shah gave this warning when a leader from Kangra contended before him that in Himachal, the party could not rely on the wave like other states and had to put up a face as the leader in the coming Assembly elections. Amit Shah stated that for the time being, the party had not decided on any CM face.

In Kangra district, the BJP was strongly marred by factionalism that also led to debacle of the party in the last Assembly elections.

Amit Shah met RSS workers and leaders from the state who briefed him about the situation in the party. Later, he held a meeting with the core group of the party at Budha resort.

A meeting of the intellectual cell of the party was also held. Many former bureaucrats, professors from Palampur Agriculture University and Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), doctors and advocates attended the meeting. VC of CUHP Kuldeep Agnihotri also attended the meeting.

Most of the intellectuals were the supporters of the BJP. During the meeting, some senior BJP leaders found it hard to find chairs for themselves as the hall was jampacked.

Amit Shah, during his address to workers and leaders of the party, was terse and straight. His answers to most of the queries were short and crisp and the message straight that central leadership was strong and would dictate its terms during the coming elections.

The statement of Amit Shah that the BJP might introduce many new faces has many sitting leaders worried and concern was writ large on their faces.

Shah failed to consolidate BJP cadre: Cong

Shimla: Taking a jibe at the visit of BJP National president, the Congress leaders said that even Amit Shah failed to consolidate the cadre to reach a consensus on chief ministerial candidate.

In a joint statement issued here today, general secretaries of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee Ram Lal Thakur, Ravi Thakur, and Ajay Mahajan advised Shah to first decide the Chief Minister candidate and then dream of winning the Assembly polls.

They said every MLA in the divided BJP wished to be Chief Minister. There is infighting within the party. The BJP is planning to go with Modi face in the elections. The Congress leaders asked the BJP to give an account of Rs 20 crores spent on buying land for party offices in Shimla, Hamirpur, Mandi and other places before demonetization.— TNS