Infighting in BJP comes to fore

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 18

The infighting within the BJP has come out in the open with the saffron party facing embarrassment in the Assembly since the start of the Budget session as party legislators have seized every opportunity to “demonise” their own ministers in the House.

Virtually playing the role of the Opposition, the ‘sulking’ BJP legislators have reasons to take on their own ministers due to pressure from voters of their respective constituencies.

According to party insiders, the lack of coordination on the floor of the House was quite visible because ministers seldom hold any interaction with their own MLAs, who had now been “availing all opportunities to corner their ministers and teach them a lesson for ignoring them”.

To begin with, Minister for Health Bali Bhagat had come under fire from his own party legislators, who blamed him for “deteriorating” health sector in the Jammu region and allegedly “insensitive towards the plight” of National Health Mission (NHM) employees.

The BJP legislators also highlighted glaring lapses in health sector, particularly shortage of staff and non-availability of basic medical facilities, to the public.

BJP legislator Choudhary Sukhnandan even went on to say that “the previous Omar Abdullah government was better than the present regime” when he was in the Opposition.

He also flagged his concerns over discrimination against the Jammu region in various sectors and did not miss any opportunity to take on his own government.

On Wednesday, the fight between two senior party leaders — Speaker Kavinder Gupta and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh — came out in the open when Gupta alleged that the Deputy Chief Minister’s escort vehicles “breached his security protocol”, but the police did not act on his complaint to “please” the Dy CM.

In another incident, BJP legislator from Jammu (East) Rajesh Gupta launched a scathing attack on Minister of State for Tourism and Education Priya Sethi for “violating his protocol” and handed over a letter from the minister’s personal assistance giving enough indications that “all is not well in the party”.

“The behaviour of ministers reflects as if we are not a part of the government. They seldom hold interactions with party legislators and take them into confidence before starting any development activity or holding any programme in their constituency. We have every right to name and shame them in the Assembly if they are not ready to mend their ways. After all, we have to face people,” a senior BJP leader said.

Chinks out in open

• Minister for Health Bali Bhagat had come under fire from his own party legislators who blamed him for “deteriorating” health sector in the Jammu region
• BJP legislator Choudhary Sukhnandan even went on to say that “the previous Omar Abdullah government was better than the present regime” when he was in the Opposition
• The fight between two senior party leaders — Speaker Kavinder Gupta and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh — came out in the open on Wednesday when Gupta alleged that the Deputy Chief Minister’s escort vehicles “breached his security protocol”, but the police did not act on his complaint to “please” the Dy CM