As detractors launch ‘apolitical front’…

Former state BJP president and four-time MP Maheshwar Singh — who was feeling marginalised,especially after Dhumal became the chief minister — has been appointed as the convenor of the front with former ministers Radha Raman Shatri and Shyama Sharma as the co-convenors. Shastri and Sharma were ministers in the earlier Shanta Kumar governments in 1977 and 1990 respectively. Maheshwar Singh had lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections to Union minister Virbhadra Singh by a narrow margin.

The formation of the front comes close on the heels of the growing rebellion in both the state BJP as well as the government.

Some ministers and MLAs — all owing strong allegiance to Shanta Kumar — along with Maheshwar Singh,have already met BJP president Nitin Gadkari seeking changes in the state’s organisational set up. A pro-Dhumal group has also met him with their grievances. Two days before this,Shanta loyalists had boycotted a meeting of the state executive called to finalise plans for Advani’s rath yatra.

However,to Dhumal’s benefit,none of the rebel ministers and sitting MLAs attended the front’s first showdown in town. Only Maheshwar Singh,flanked by Mohinder Sofat — a former Solan MLA and now the front’s spokesman — addressed mediapersons.

Singh parried most questions,saying: “Today,I will not say anything. This is only the first step to form the front after serious deliberations among like-minded leaders was held at Kullu last month about the need for an organisation. Soon,we will form a 51-member executive when more front leaders will join the movement against corruption and also provide platform to social activists,religious and yoga gurus. We are very much a part of the BJP and just in tune with Advaniji’s Jan Chetna Yatra to highlight corruption.”

The former MP said the front,which will function from the residence of Radha Raman Shastri in Shimla,will have two secretaries — Navin Dhiman,a former BJP MLA and Kuldeep Thakur,Zila Parishad chairman at Bilaspur.

Singh,however,refused to divulge the political agenda of the front,except saying that they will soon set up a RTI cell. The only issues he raised was the exorbitant rates being charged by cement manufacturing companies and demanded that responsibility be fixed on health department officials,who failed to check the manufacture of spurious drugs in Baddi area.

When asked about the front,state BJP president Khimi Ram said: “I am woefully busy in finalising things for Advani’s yatra. These issue can be addressed after we all get free from the main task of ensuring that the yatra is a success. It is difficult to comment anything off hand on the morcha and real intentions of the leaders.”

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