NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday decided to take disciplinary action against party dissidents in Uttar Pradesh, after a meeting convened by state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar in Lucknow discussed their 'disgruntlement' over the recent Cabinet expansion carried out by Chief Minister Mayawati.
But a visibly worried Mayawati asked her Bahujan Samaj Party leaders to prepare for a midterm poll.
The BJP dissidents had asked the central leadership to withdraw support to the five-month-old BSP-led government.
"The act of the [dissident] BJP leaders amounts to gross indiscipline, which cannot be tolerated," Satya Deo Singh, state BJP vice-president, said after the meeting.
Prominent among those who attended the meeting were former state BJP chief Kalraj Misra, former chief minister Ram Prakash Gupta and Housing and Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon.
Asked what kind of action was likely to be initiated against the dissidents, he said, "Well, apart from issuing warnings to some, we could also consider suspending some of the defiant legislators."
Far from getting cowed down by the party leadership's threats, the dissidents appeared even more rebellious. "We are calling a meeting of all like-minded legislators here tomorrow [Wednesday] to chalk out our strategy to give a befitting reply to such ill-conceived threats," Ramashish Rai, a member of the upper house of state legislature, said.
ALSO SEE: BJP, BSP to jointly contest UP Lok Sabha election No disgruntlement in Uttar Pradesh BJP unit: PM Uttar Pradesh BJP dissidents to air their grievances before PM
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
