‘Underperforming’ Chahal cut to size

NEW DELHI: The Delhi BJP has removed its state general secretary Kuljeet Singh Chahal from the post of in-charge of “gath” (group of hosueholds) management department for poor performance. As per party decision or poll strategy, one worker will be appointed “gath” convenor for every 10 houses and he or she will be responsible regularly reaching out to the families in these houses till election.

A state in-charge will coordinate with these workers. According to a BJP insider, state general secretary (organisation) Siddarthan announced Mr Chahal’s removal on Sunday at the meeting of key functionaries of the department.

A party leader, present in the Sunday meeting, told this newspaper that in the meeting attended by about 480 key workers, Mr Siddarthan neither mentioned nor took the name of Mr Chahal and entrusted the responsibility to the team managing “booth management department” of party, which successfully organised meeting of booth presidents in December last year, which now is copied by rival Congress. “Mr Siddarthan told the workers present in the meeting to ensure good work of booth management in gath management,” he added.

It is learnt that while lobbying for a ticket to fight Lok Sabha election, Mr Chahal, suspended twice from BJP for anti-party activities, showed least interest in organisational responsibility entrusted to him. Even the first meeting of gath management under his leadership witnessed low turnout.

“An elaborate arrangement was made for the first meeting called by newly appointed in-charge of ‘gath’ management Mr Chahal. As the department is not formed properly, Mr Chahal called upon key workers of party’ booth management department and district president and general secretaries, but most of them did not turn up for the meeting,” said a party insider.

Another senior Delhi BJP leader blamed lack of planning and coordination which resulted in Mr Chahal’s failure in managing the department. “Despite his limited ability and disconnect from ground workers, Mr Chahal, out of arrogance, never tried to reach out other senior functionaries working on ground.”