'Rao vs Rao' in Haryana: Air grievances at party fora or face action, warns BJP

Taking exception to “Rao vs Rao” public outbursts, the BJP has cracked the whip against the leaders airing opinions against fellow party leaders, asking them to use party fora for voicing their concerns.

The party action comes close on the heels of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh and Rao Narbir Singh taking potshots at each other publicly.

“The party has taken a serious view of certain leaders expressing their opinion about fellow party leaders at public platforms. They have been warned not to do so in future, failing which disciplinary action will be taken. There are several fora within the party where the leaders can air their grievances,” BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli told 'The Tribune'.

Recently, both senior leaders, traditional rivals from the Ahirwal belt, had made below-the-belt remarks against each other, bringing differences within the party to the fore.

For long, the BJP has prided itself as the "party with a difference" where discipline and commitment to the ideology are seen as its major characteristics. It has been mocking the Congress for factionalism.

On the basis of its unity, the BJP was able to score a hat trick in the 2024 Assembly polls, however, the Congress had to pay a price for its rampant factionalism, with the party suffering a surprise defeat.

A senior BJP functionary said the recent spat between the two Ahirwal stalwarts was an "ego clash", and that they did not question the party’s leadership or its ideology. “The message is clear that any public display of animosity against any leader would be viewed seriously by the state and central high commands,” he asserted.

He conceded that the public outbursts had the potential of harming the party’s polls prospects in the run-up to the elections to the municipal corporations of Panchkula, Ambala and Sonepat.