Modi compels BJP to throw out rival Joshi
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has once again flexed his muscles, forcing the BJP to virtually throw his arch-rival Sanjay Joshi out of the party. Officially, the BJP tried to put the onus on Mr Joshi, with spokesperson Prakash Javadekar saying it was “Joshi who urged the party to relieve him... The party president accepted his request”.
It was Mr Modi who earlier compelled the BJP to make Sanjay Joshi resign from its national executive. Stunned by this, the Joshi camp claimed he had only given up his position as Uttar Pradesh in-charge. They claimed Mr Joshi had never asked to be “relieved” from the BJP.
That Mr Modi’s shadow continues to spread across the Sangh Parivar and the BJP was evident with even the RSS remaining silent on Mr Joshi’s removal from the BJP. A former RSS pracharak, Mr Joshi is understood to have a number of sympathisers within the Sangh Parivar. Efforts are reportedly on to rehabilitate Mr Joshi in the RSS.
The BJP remained evasive on Friday when asked about the reason for “relieving” Mr Joshi from the party. Mr Javadekar kept repeating: “Joshi wanted to be relieved from the party. So the party president accepted it. It’s clear. You all should understand this.” It may be recalled how many years earlier K.N. Govindacharya, an RSS pracharak who was emerging as one of the BJP’s most powerful leaders, was sacked after he tried to take on top party leader Atal Behari Vajpayee. Sanjay Joshi, who was forced to quit the BJP national executive, reportedly continued to make trouble for Mr Modi through RSS sympathisers. Articles against Mr Modi kept appearing in the RSS mouthpiece, and posters criticising the Gujarat CM for forcing the BJP to make Mr Joshi quit the national executive started appearing all across New Delhi and Ahmedabad. The RSS, however, quickly dissociated itself from these posters.
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