BJP, BSP ministers face ire of party cadre

LUCKNOW, May 25: Both the coalition partners in Uttar Pradesh are facing dissent from within their own ranks. Senior leaders and workers of...

LUCKNOW, May 25: Both the coalition partners in Uttar Pradesh are facing dissent from within their own ranks. Senior leaders and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have protested against the indifferent treatment meted out to them by their party colleagues in the ministry.

In the BJP, the growing resentment snowballed yesterday as party MLAs stormed into the office of a senior BJP minister to complain against the “non-availability to our own partymen in power”. All attempts to mollify the angry MLAs failed, as the disgruntled leaders raised slogans like: “Vote hamaara, raj tumhaara nahi chalega”. They finally conceded to leave the office after extracting a categorical assurance from a senior Cabinet minister.

Sources said that most of the BJP ministers have not even bothered to visit the party office to listen to the grievances of party workers who have been thronging the State capital ever since the BJP-BSP coalition Government was sworn in.

The issue was also raised at a recent meeting of State leaders in Ghaziabad. Taking strong exception to their self-imposed ban, BJP ministers have been directed by Central leaders of the party to remain available in the party office.

State BJP chief Rajnath Singh has assured party workers that from June onwards, a schedule of the timings and dates at which party ministers would sit in office will be prepared. He also warned the ministers that any laxity on their part would not be tolerated.

While BJP workers are unhappy with their ministers, their coalition partners in the BSP have expressed their ire over Chief Minister Mayawati’s inaccessibility. Some BSP leaders have also complained to party supremo Kanshi Ram over their alleged maltreatment by Mayawati, accusing her of deliberately distancing herself from them.

However, the few who mustered up enough courage to protest against Mayawati’s “autocratic” functioning had to bear the consequences. Former State BSP chief Bhagwat Pal was expelled from the party for daring to speak against her in different party fora. Former MP and senior leader Harshvardhan also met with the same fate when he complained to Kanshi about Mayawati’s non-availability.