145;I can146;t sit idle while BJP rots146;

Denied ministership, the 80-year-old, who was jailed along with Rajju Bhaiya and Murli Manohar Joshi in 1947 when the RSS was briefly banned, triggerred off a chain of actions and reactions that isn8217;t showing signs of stopping. 8216;8216;My fight is to save the party8217;s sagging image, and I can8217;t sit idly while the party rots because of corruption and nepotism,8217;8217; he told The Indian Express.

Singh, whose political record has been unblemished by allegations of corruption, has been waiting in the wings for years. In 1967, he was appointed as a minister in the Sayunkt Vidhayak Dal government in Uttar Pradesh.

8216;8216;My name was cleared for a ministry in the Morarji Desai government, but somehow I wasn8217;t named as minister,8217;8217; said Bhakt Singh, who represents the Shahabad constituency.

Bhakt Singh8217;s main complaint is the manner in which the party high command has been trying to wish the dissidents away by 8216;8216;avoiding8217;8217; them. 8216;8216;The party leadership at the Centre isn8217;t ready to talk to us. Kushabhau Thakre was sent to the state to resolve the crisis, but he said he wouldn8217;t talk to the rebels,8217;8217; Bhakt Singh complained. 8216;8216;If they do not want us, we don8217;t want them either.8217;8217;