Nurpur rally exposes factionalism in BJP

Our Correspondent

NURPUR, MARCH 12

Factionalism in the BJP just three months after the Assembly elections came to the fore at the Jan Aakrosh rally yesterday. The rally was organised by the Nurpur BJP organisational district in protest against the decision of the government to denotify a large number of government institutions in the district here.

The rally, convened by the BJP district led by Ramesh Rana, failed to ensure participation of senior BJP leader of the district.

Former minister Rakesh Pathania from Nurpur, Arjun Thakur, former MLA of Jawali and Baldev Thakur, former BJP candidate from Fatehpur assembly constituency, were conspicuous by their absence in the much-publicised rally.

Pathania, who had been shifted from his native Nurpur Assembly constituency to Fatehpur by the BJP, had unsuccessfully contested election there. Pathania had brought a number of government offices, health and educational institutions and made them functional in Nurpur during his stint as a Cabinet minister benefitting the people of the area. But most of these institutions were closed after de-notification.

Ranbir Singh Nikka, who contested from Nurpur on the BJP ticket and won the election with record margin of around 19,000 votes, Reeta Dhiman, who was defeated from Indora Assembly constituency and Sanjay Guleria who was defeated from Jawali, participated the protest demonstration. Merely a crowd of around 200 BJP men participated.

Led by former minister Vikram Thakur, the protesters raised anti-government slogans and took out a protest demonstration from Chogan to a parking place near the mini-secretariat in the town.

Ramesh Rana, president of Nurpur BJP district, on being asked about the non-participation by senior party leaders in the rally, said they were busy in their social engagements.

Meanwhile, state Congress spokesman Sudarshan Sharma said the Jan Akrosh rally organised by the BJP in Nurpur, had flopped as the organizers could not even gather a crowd of 200 party workers and the absence of senior party leaders had exposed internal bickering in the party.

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