Party time in BJP but no time for Chintan Baithak

Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi Tuesday, January 19, 2010

It is an ostrich-like BJP, head in sands. The BJP seems to have put a premium over its failure in the State Assembly election. Though, party had formed the Government after joining hands with the JMM and the AJSU; but the party found no time for introspection: Chintan Baithak.

“We have formed the Government but we should sit together to find out reasons behind party’s defeat so that we correct the things,” senior party leader, Saryu Rai told The Pioneer.

Sources in the party said that no meeting of the party took place after the results were declared nor there is any proposal to do so. Raghuwar Das was in hurry to submit his resignation from the post of party’s State president, soon after he joined the Shibu Soren’s Government, as the deputy Chief Minister.

He was also asked to continue in his office till further arrangement was made. Any decision over the appointment of the next president is likely to be taken after two-days meeting of the BJP National Council starting from February 17.

The party is running without a leader since others like Arjun Munda are not stated to be keen to prod the party for introspection. Insiders said that the fissure among party leaders have developed into a major fault-line.

It is because all of them had an equal burden in the poor performance of the party. The party could not retain respectable tally this time. It won only 18 seats, far below from what it had won in the Assembly election in 2005. But the greater part of the story is that sentiments are running high against party’s organisational secretary, Ranjan Patel who has been blamed for party’s discomfiture.

A section of the party has now demanded the removal of Patel, who rather failed to exhibit his organisational skill. Patel is likely to be removed from Jharkhand BJP affairs, sources in the BJP said.

“His performance was below to the expectation of the party. Instead running the party based on the consensus, he patronised factionalism and he remained detached from the party workers more or less and acted as the chief executive officer of the party,” a senior party leader said.

While it is mandatory for an organisational secretary of the BJP to make regular visit of different constituencies and stay with party workers, the system came to an end with Patel. Even during parliamentary and Assembly election, Patel was never seen in the constituencies. He remained confined to his official residence at party headquarter in Ranchi.

The party organisation remained disorganised during the election and different factions remained stonewalled to each others. Patel was hardly available to discipline the party. Sources said that Patel is no more in the good book of the RSS and the organisation on many occasions expressed displeasure over his way of functioning.

Though, the BJP has not started any preliminary investigation of its failure nor the district units have been asked to furnish any report insiders said that allocation of tickets to weak candidates was a prime reason.

For instance, the party was routed in Santhal Pargana while winning only two seats. The party virtually surrendered before the corporate giant and party MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey, who had a major say in the selection of the candidates in Santhal Pargana.
Too many skeletons are tumbling in the cupboards of the BJP.


http://www.dailypioneer.com/230284/Party-time-in-BJP-but-no-time-for-Chintan-Baithak.html