Tea cup controversy: Block committee head removed in Sirsa's Baragudha

In a dramatic turn of events, the chairperson of Baragudha block of Sirsa, Manjeet Kaur Sran, lost her post on Thursday, following the removal of vice-chairperson Gurdev Singh Gudar just days earlier on December 23. The decision to remove both the leaders was triggered by a no-confidence motion led by BJP leader Rajendra Desujodha and backed by 18 members of the 22-member block committee.

The controversy that led to the no-confidence motions revolved around allegations of nepotism and unfair treatment. Members had accused the chairperson of serving herself tea in expensive cups while offering them tea in disposable cups. They also criticised her for failing to carry out any significant development work in the block, with claims of inequality in her treatment of committee members.

Members join BJP

All 18 members present voted in favor of removing Manjeet Kaur Sran from her position

The political shift in Baragudha became more evident as all 18 members who voted against the Chairperson joined the BJP

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The no-confidence motion against the chairperson was discussed in a meeting at the BDO office in Baragudha, which was attended by 18 out of 22 members. The voting was overseen by Additional Deputy Commissioner Lakshit Sareen and BDO Tarun Suthar. All 18 members present voted in favor of removing Manjeet Kaur Sran from her position, citing dissatisfaction with her leadership. After the vote, the members celebrated the decision by distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers.

The political shift in Baragudha became more evident as all 18 members who voted against the chairperson joined the BJP. Rajendra Desujodha welcomed them into the party fold, symbolically tying BJP scarves around their necks. Desujodha, who had led the charge against both the chairperson and vice-chairperson, stated the members had lost faith in their leadership, particularly because of the lack of development and the accusation of discrimination.

The issue of discrimination and the tea cup controversy seemed to have played a significant role in the political fallout. According to the members, they had hoped for a fair and equal leadership but were instead treated unfairly. This led to their decision to remove the chairperson and vice-chairperson and replace them with new leadership.

Manjeet Kaur Sran, in response, expressed acceptance of the decision and maintained that she had worked equally for the development of the block. She denied any kind of bias and hoped that the new leadership would continue the development work.

Rajendra Desujodha, commenting on the situation, promised that under BJP leadership, there would be no discrimination and that all members would be treated equally. He also emphasised that development work would be a priority under the new leadership, which would be chosen through consensus in the coming days.