Once again the rift within the Himachal BJP came to fore, when the party’s senior leader and national vice-president Shanta Kumar questions the ambition of a minister to contest the coming assembly poll in the state on his own terms.
Shanta Kumar said that “One leader directly became a legislator. For the past 20 years he was a legislator and a minister. Now he has gone so impatient to get the ticket that he doesn’t want to work for the party without getting any post,” Shanta Kumar further added that “There can’t be more devaluation of politics than this. It’s like killing the budding leadership (before time) as happens in foeticide,”
Shanta Kumar, who was conspicuous with his absence from the party’s core group meeting in Shimla over ticket allocation, he without naming Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Ravi, asked him to show patience, decency and discipline during the allocation of tickets.
Ravi, who’s constituency Thural has been scrapped in delimitation, trying to contest from the Jwalamukhi constituency, which is represented by other BJP senior leader and Food and Civil Supplies Minister in present Govt Ramesh Dhawala. Dhawala is considered close confident of Shanta Kumar and refused to leave Jwalamukhi constituency for Ravi. Even Shanta Kumar has many times opposed Ravi’s ambition to vacate any seat for him.
Over Ravi, a close confident of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Shanta Kumar had lodged a protest with BJP president Nitin Gadkari, he even threatened to quit from all party posts. However later party high-command succeed to woo him back and put united face before poll, but on ticket distribution, infighting within the party again come to fore. Himachal Pradesh is going to polls on Nov 4 and infighting can spoil its mission repeat.
