By IANS,
Shimla : Facing embarrassment over a party legislator going public to demand leadership change in Himachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit Thursday issued notice to him, a party leader said.
“A show-cause notice has been issued to Rohru legislator Khushi Ram Balnatah after consulting the party high command,” BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt told reporters here.
“There is a discipline within the party. One can raise the issue within the party platform rather than going to the public,” he said.
Dutt said the legislator, who demanded immediate change in leadership and a major reshuffle in the party and the government ahead of the assembly elections, has violated party norms.
“The man who was helped to reach the corridors of Vidhan Sabha after facing four consecutive defeats in the assembly elections with the help of the party is now talking about change of party leadership. It’s simply a case of political dishonesty,” Dutt said.
In a letter written to party president Nitin Gadkari, Balnatah said: “Allegations of corruption, nepotism and regionalism are being levelled against the state government.”
“We had met you in this regard last year and explained the situation in detail and also given documentary evidence in support of our charges but no action has been taken and as a result stalwarts like former MP Maheshwar Singh have been forced to quit the party and float his own party,” he said in the letter dated May 30.
On similar lines, the BJP March 11 suspended its MP Rajan Sushant for indiscipline.
For quite some time, Sushant, MP from Kangra, had been openly criticising Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. He was axed from the party’s state executive council last May for demanding a narco-analysis test of Dhumal and his cabinet ministers over corruption.