Bhopal: Toughening its stand against dissidents in the party ahead of March-April Lok Sabha elections, BJP here on Wednesday asked the disgruntled leaders to mend their ways or leave the party.
Sending a strong message to the dissidents here, veteran saffron leader and former chief minister Babulal Gaur, who had earlier literally threatened to switch over to Congress if he was denied ticket in the forthcoming parliamentary elections by the party, was summoned by the party leadership here on Wednesday and given a dressing down, sources said.
The ten-time MLA was asked to “explain” in person on his recent “flip flop” comments slighting the Central party leadership, before a group of senior BJP leaders who included national organisional secretary of the party Ram Lal, Lok Sabha elections in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Anil Jain, state party president Rakesh Singh, and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
“Mr Gaur was told in clear terms by the party leadership that any kind of indiscipline in the party will be dealt with strong hands. He was asked to mend his ways or face disciplinary actions”, a senior party leader disclosed to this newspaper. The close-door meeting lasted nearly one hour.
Later, emerging out of the meeting, Mr Gaur said, “I am not going to leave BJP”.
Mr Gaur had earlier rubbed the party leadership in the wrong way by saying that BJP currently was not the same party as happened to be during the era of Atal Behari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. He regretted that veteran leaders have been marginalised in the party.
