BJP cracks the whip after candidate accuses Om Birla ‘internal sabotage’ in Anta by-poll defeat

He says: “Therefore, for this act, a show cause notice is issued to you that if you have any explanation to give in response to the above allegation, you should submit it in writing within three days from today, otherwise it will be considered that you have nothing to say in relation to the said allegation”.

Contacted by The Indian Express about his letter and the subsequent notice, Suman refused to comment.

In his letter, Suman had alleged a conspiracy by party leaders, including Lok Sabha Speaker and Kota MP Om Birla and several others, claiming they worked against him.

In a letter to BJP’s Baran district president Naresh Singh Sikarwar, Suman had cited “internal sabotage” as well as delay in announcing his candidature as key factors behind his defeat.

He had alleged that Om Birla’s entire team, “directly and indirectly”, campaigned against him, accusing them of distributing large sums of money to influential leaders in Baran and influencing the voters in favour of Congress candidate Pramod Jain Bhaya. The Anta Assembly constituency in Baran district shares its border with Kota, which Om Birla represents in the Lok Sabha.

The letter has also been marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former party president J P Nadda, current party chief Nitin Nabin, BJP National General Secretary B L Santhosh, former CM Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and party state president Madan Rathore.

Suman had also accused Rajasthan government’s Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar, party’s former district president Anand Garg, Anta Pradhan Prakhar Kaushal, former MLA from Kota and Baran, Hemraj Meena, BJP’s Kisan Morcha president for Baran, Mukesh Dhakad, and party’s ST Morcha district president Dharmveer Meena, among others, of working against him.

Suman had claimed that “There was widespread discussion in the Anta Assembly that if Morpal Suman defeated Congress candidate Pramod Jain, then he had a strong chance of being appointed a minister. This prompted the three MLAs of the district, Pratap Singh Singhvi (Chhabra), Lalit Meena (Kishanganj), and Radheshyam Bairwa (Baran Atru), to collectively attempt to defeat me, both directly and indirectly.”

He had alleged that most of the MLA ticket aspirants themselves “worked to defeat me and the party,” urging the party “to take disciplinary action against all of them for acting against the party.”

In the Anta by poll in November, Congress’s Pramod Jain Bhaya won with 69,571 votes or a margin of 15,612 votes over Suman, who received 53,959 votes. Congress rebel Naresh Meena stood a close third with 53,800 votes, just 159 less than Suman.