Rahul case has BJP split down the middle

Faultlines re-surfaced in the BJP today throwing up changed equations and fresh centres of discontent. The latest dissent played out in the name of differences of opinion over the party stand on the Rahul Mahajan episode.

Faultlines re-surfaced in the BJP today throwing up changed equations and fresh centres of discontent. The latest dissent played out in the name of differences of opinion over the party stand on the Rahul Mahajan episode.

Signalling a break from the BJP line of staying clear of the Rahul case, vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Kalraj Mishra, both Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh, drove up to the Tughlaq Road police station to meet Pramod Mahajan8217;s son. They spent five minutes at the police station, but as they came out, they had achieved their goal of demonstrating their solidarity with Rahul.

For the record, Naqvi said: 8216;8216;We have come to enquire about his well-being and wish him luck in getting over the present crisis.8217;8217; He said the present state of the Mahajan family was a matter of concern for millions of BJP workers. Members of the Mahajan family, according to him, could not be treated as if they were traitors.

Former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu was also spotted in front of the police station a little afterwards, but by then Rahul had been taken by the police to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for a check-up. Sources close to Naidu claimed he happened to halt at the spot out of curiosity at the media presence. However, Naidu met with party president Rajnath Singh later to discuss the issue.

Naqvi declined comment on the remark made by senior leader Sushma Swaraj that the BJP had nothing to do with the case. However, sources said that was precisely what had upset Pramod Mahajan8217;s brother-in-law Gopinath Munde, who had of late met with Rajnath Singh, general secretary organisation Sanjay Joshi and other senior leaders to mobilise support for the troubled family.

There were murmurs of protest over the 8216;8216;manner8217;8217; in which Swaraj had expressed the party position. Some leaders, requesting anonymity, contended her choice of words 8212; 8216;8216;party ka is se koi lena-dena nahin hai8217;8217; 8212; was too harsh. A senior leader even questioned the authority of the collegium of the meetings at which the party decided to treat the Rahul case only as 8216;8216;a family tragedy.8217;8217; He contended that 8216;8216;four leaders8217;8217; gathering at 30, Prithviraj Road the residence of leader of L K Advani did not 8216;8216;mean the party.8217;8217;

However, these outbursts were a complete give-away too. The sources saw the rather unusual effort of Naqvi and Mishra in the context of the recent remark made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Manali 8212; 8216;8216;Such mistakes happen in young age8217;8217;. Since Swaraj had re-affirmed the party position immediately after a Central Election Committee meeting attended by senior leaders, many in the party felt she had contradicted the former PM. Therefore, by positioning themselves against Swaraj8217;s view, they felt they were backing the Vajpayee-line.

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Party spokesman Prakash Javdekar also packaged his position differently today, a day after he had said, 8216;8216;Our stand has been made clear by Sushmaji.8217;8217; Speaking in Allahabad, he said, 8216;8216;The BJP does not believe in deserting the family of its dedicated workers. Pramod had served the party for a long time. Now that he is no more, the party will certainly take care of his family.8217;8217;

However, Rajnath Singh told The Indian Express: 8216;8216;We have sympathy for Pramodji8217;s family. Everybody is pained by what has happened. The police is investigating the case and it would not be proper to drag the name of the party in it.8217;8217;