By L S Herdenia
BHOPAL: All attempts of national and Madhya Pradesh leaders to persuade Deepak Joshi not to leave BJP failed. He finally joined the Congress on Saturday in the presence of PCC president Kamal Nath. He accepted the Congress membership along with large number of his followers.
While announcing his decision to leave party he levelled serious charges of corruption, specially in his constituency. He said that to make complaint with people holding powerful position did not yield any result.
Son of Kailash Joshi, who commanded great respect in the party, Deepak Joshi occupied ministerial position in the BJP government. He also alleged that the party humiliated his father despite the fact that he was one of the founders of the party. In 1977 when party secured majority in the state with great reluctance he was made chief minister and removed him within six months in highly humiliating condition. But despite this he continued in the party and even agreed to join the ministry under the chief minister V. K. Sakhlecha who at that time was the blue eyed boy of the RSS.
He further said when he started raising the voice of the people against corruption half of the BJP stood against him. He claimed that “I am the son of the person who always respected decisions of the party but he wants a platform to destroy the present system as Congress worker”.
To the surprise of the state BJP, at least half a dozen top leaders spoke almost in the same language in which Deepak spoke. One such leader is Kailash Vijayavargiya, general secretary of the party. He made very significant remark “only BJP can defeat BJP. There is urgent need to correct mistakes in the party”. Another stalwart Bhawar Singh Shekhawat targeted Jyotiraditya Scindia and his supporters who joined BJP, accusing them of ‘breeding corruption and destroying party ideology’. Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Dattigaon, a Scindia supporter, rejected his allegations and threatened to sue him.
“When Scindia and his supporters joined BJP, party workers welcomed them and worked hard to get them elected. But the situations that arose after their arrival are disheartening and saddening.” Shekhawat, twice MLA from Baddnawar and Indore-5 told reporters.
“If the party had grown stronger, we could have understood. But after their (team Scindia’s) arrival the party’s base has become hollow. Our morals were lost”. He said. “I’d never heard of corruption charged against BJP ministers, the kind that’s being levelled now against those who came with Jyotiraditya” he alleged.
“In Badnawar, Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Dattiaon has captured lands, mines and started illegal mining” Shekhawat alleged.
“The party is being defamed. People associated with its original ideology are hurt. This is what we are trying to tell the party. These were the kind of reasons why the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government lost in 2018. The people who led to the fall of the government, who worked against the party, you are rewarding them” he asked.
“Learn to respect the elders. This is not a fight for tickets. This is a fight to keep the party alive and against those trying to destroy it” he added.
Another important leader Sattan too blamed Scindia for all the ills and corruption. Ministers having loyalty to Scindia are indulging in all sorts of omissions and commissions. He claimed that Scindia joined the BJP to fulfill his own vested interest.
Another senior leader Raghu Nandan Sharma also expressed concern over the state of affairs in the party. The Congress is claiming that many more BJP leaders are knocking their doors. (IPA Service)
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