Gupta will stay as CM — Thakre

Thakre feels the question of any mid-term elections in the State did not arise as the Government would last its full term, BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu said.

Gupta was here to attend a meeting of the committee headed by George Fernandes, on Udhamsingh Nagar. With Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, another member of the three-member committee stoutly opposing Centre’s decision to include Udhamsingh Nagar in Uttarakhand, the committee decided to send George to gauge people’s mood.

Its apparently a futile exercise as the State Reorganisation Bill for Uttaranchal has both Hardwar and Udhamsingh Nagar as part of the new State. The Bill has already been passed by the Union Cabinet on Saturday and is likely to be introduced in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Gupta on his party said any decision taken by the Centre on Udhamsingh Nagar would be acceptable to his Government. On threats of withdrawal of support doled out by the BJP’s allies in UP if Hardwar was included in the new State, Gupta said, since the ball was now in Centre’s court, the allies too should talk to the Centre. "Running UP Government is as much allies’ compulsion as BJP’s," Gupta claimed.

The Uttar Pradesh Government had given its consent to the inclusion of Udhamsingh nagar in the proposed Uttaranchal state but Badal had expressed reservations. Fernandes had convened the meeting to discuss the issue with Chief ministers of both the states.

On the issue of alleged cross-voting and misbehaviour by some legislators, Gupta said all BJP legislators were disciplined and the Government was looking into their grievances. He said the question of transfer of officials would be resolved once panchayat elections were over in the State.

Meanwhile, BJP’s organisational elections in Uttar Pradesh scheduled to be held next week are likely to be delayed due to local bodies elections which are to be held just prior to the organisational elections.

The organisational elections were to be completed before the month end to enable the party to form the electoral college which would elect the party President.

The BJP later demanded an explanation from the Congress on what the party as part of the RJD-led government in Bihar, was doing in the case involving massacre of Dalits.

"Congress makes a hue and cry when Dalits are killed in other states but what are they doing in this case. If not for the Congress, there would have been no jungle raj in the State. The party owes an explanation to the people for their actions," Naidu said.

He alleged that the accused in the killing of the Dalits were related to an RJD MLA and that the relatives of the victims were being harassed for lodging an FIR.