By IANS
Raipur : In a bid to end infighting in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh, party strategists have set up a panel dominated by dissidents and critics of Chief Minister Raman Singh to outline a plan for the BJP to retain power in assembly elections next year.
BJP sources said senior party leader and former union minister Ramesh Bais, a known critic of Raman Singh, will head the eight-member panel that will advice the party how to increase its popularity so that the government can survive an expected anti-incumbency.
"The party held a two-day brainstorming meet July 28-29 at Champaran and it ended with a decision to form an eight-member panel to guide the government to retain power," a BJP veteran told IANS on condition of anonymity.
About 60 BJP state unit leaders besides the chief minister, cabinet members and state party president Vishnudev Sai attended the meet. BJP general secretary Ram Lal came from New Delhi to take part.
Lok Sabha legislator and former president of BJP state unit Nandkumar Sai, who led the dissidents in an anti-Raman Singh campaign in New Delhi earlier this month, has also been named a panel member.
"All the major dissidents have found a berth in the panel. They will guide the government to stick to the task of welfare of the masses and pursue policies to help the party retain power," a source added.
The BJP is plagued by factionalism with about 20 of its 53 legislators in a 90-member house demanding Raman Singh's replacement.
Seven of them rushed to New Delhi July 19 and complained to party chief Rajnath Singh about the chief minister's style of functioning and what they said was his "surrender before bureaucrats".