Sore BJP leaders to move party bosses

HIMANTA FACTOR

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Sept 6: With discontent rising in the BJP in the wake of Himanta Biswa Sarma’s induction, the party’s State observer Mahendra Singh is likely to be the first to come in the line of fire.

Five BJP MPs of the State and the district unit presidents have chalked out a plan to meet senior party leaders in New Delhi and give vent to their resentment.

“Mahendra Singh is misleading the central leadership by not giving the right picture of the State. The central leadership is uware about the discontent within the party after the joining of Himanta Biswa Sarma. The grievances of the lower level and grassroot workers are not being communicated to the party leadership. Maybe this is why the party has laid out the red carpet for anyone coming to join it,” said one of the unhappy MPs.

“If any legislator wants to join the BJP, he should first quit as an MLA and then contest in the bye-poll and win it to prove his worth,” he added.

Sources said the BJP is in possession of a report which indicates a swing of around 20 per cent votes in favour of the Congress after Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the BJP. “The State unit has now turned as a B Team of the Congress. After embracing the discarded Congress members, people feel that the BJP is now no longer an altertive to the Congress,” rued another senior party member.

Many leaders are also not happy with State unit president Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, who has been facing charges of “autocratic behaviour”.

Nine Congress legislators had yesterday met BJP president Amit Shah, expressing their eagerness to join the party. They are likely to join the party soon.

The move has sparked resentment among a section of party workers, especially ticket aspirants in the BJP.