The continued influx of leaders from the BSP to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has now started to rankle the BJP cadres who feel that the move will damage the party during Assembly elections next year.
The continued influx of leaders from the BSP to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has now started to rankle the BJP cadres who feel that the move will damage the party during Assembly elections next year.
After two more BSP legislators, Rajni Tiwari and Brijesh Varma, joined the BJP this week, a district-level BJP office bearer remarked, “We are turning into Bahujan Janata Party. Our leaders are so keen to take in anyone who comes from the BSP that they are conveniently overlooking the growing resentment among the party workers.”
The BJP is also ignoring the RSS diktat that not more than 30-35 outsiders be given tickets and that preference must be given to the party’s own workers.
The BJP has already ruffled enough feathers in its own party by nominating four former BSP leaders — Brijesh Pathak, Swami Prasad Maurya, Jugal Kishore and Dara Singh Chauhan — to the national executive. These leaders had joined the party barely a few months ago and are now a part of the BJP’s apex decision-making body.
“The culture and the sanctity of the party are being compromised with. Those who have joined the party less than a month ago (Brijesh Pathak) are now members of the apex body. What signal does the party leadership want to send to our cadres Will such actions not cause resentment on a large scale and damage the party in the elections ” asked a former BJP minister.
A party worker from Gorakhpur, in a reference to Rajesh Tripathi, said, “The person against whom we have been holding agitations for the past ten years is now our leader because he has quit the BSP to join BJP and we are expected to campaign for him. Most of us would prefer to sit at home than work for the party.” BJP veterans admit that giving undue importance to turncoats and outsiders could prove suicidal for the party in elections.
“The party is apparently ignoring the ground realities and is caught up in the euphoria of people wanting to join it. The euphoria will evaporate when tickets are announced and cadres refuse to work for the newcomers,” said one of the senior most BJP MLAs.
Meanwhile, a large number of retired bureaucrats and police officials are also queuing up to join the BJP with almost all keen on contesting the elections.
BJP spokesman Chandramohan defended the leadership and said the move showed the party’s belief in inclusive development. “Once a leader joins the party, he is a part of the family and we believe in taking everyone along,” he said.
