Modi responsible for Bihar defeat: BJP MP

Modi had sidelined the four leaders – Lal Krishna Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Murli Manohar Joshi and Shanta Kumar – after becoming prime minister in May previous year.

NEW DELHIIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a mutiny from senior members of his Bharatiya Janata Party for the first time in his premiership after a humiliating election defeat in the pivotal state of Bihar exposed deep rifts over his leadership.

RK Singh did not campaign for the party during the assembly election after the BJP leadership overlooked his objections to fielding candidates with criminal antecedents.

Gadkari, a former BJP President, also demanded stringent action against those making “irresponsible” statements against Modi and Shah, who are facing flak from within the BJP and also allies for the NDA’s massive defeat in the key Hindi heartland state. “It shows those who would have appropriated credit are bent on shrugging off responsibility for the disastrous showing in Bihar”, the statement says. They have seen a destruction of the “consensual character” of the BJP, which is “being forced to kow-tow to a handful” and has, as a result, been “emasculated”.

However, the strain continued to simmer with Gadkari’s Cabinet colleague M Venkaiah Naidu suggesting that the veterans might have raised their considerations inside the party.

Rajnath, however, was later learnt to have made a significant intervention in the controversy, rejecting Gadkari’s demand of action against the seniors.

Advani, Joshi, Sinha and Kumar have so far not received much response beyond the party having noted that it would function on the principle of collective responsibility that had been set when Advani and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee led the party.

“We failed to make people realise to vote for the party at the Centre and earn maximum benefits”. Then he had even blamed the veteran leader as the one behind his exit as Chief Minister.

Manoj Tewari, MP from Norh-East Delhi who was one of the leading BJP campaigners, joined other BJP leaders in criticising the party’s campaign in Bihar and lauded the strategy of JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance as “undoubtedly better”.

It is known that the BJP has changed much after the ascendancy of Modi at the Centre and the takeover of the party organisation by him and his trusted lieutenant Amit Shah. Sources said union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and former Delhi mayor Arti Mehra were also present at Advani’s residence when Sinha reached there.