BJP to review leadership

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, MAY 15.

Shaken by the verdict of the latest Assembly elections in five States, the BJP Central leadership is toying with the idea of changes in the party's Delhi unit and the leadership of the BJP Legislature Party to finetune the organisation for meeting the challenge of facing the MCD elections early next year.

Insiders in the party says a serious review is already under way within the party and changes could well be carried out in the beginning of next month. There have been a lot of complaints about the functioning of the local unit under the leadership of Mr. Mange Ram Garg and its failure to take on the Sheila Dikshit Government effectively. Similarly, the performance and the Leader of the Opposition, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, has also come in for sharp criticism.

Most senior leaders are of the view that the present Delhi unit is a divided house and is not in a position to take on the Congress(I). Sharp divisions among senior leaders and intensified infighting over the past one year has taken a heavy toll of the party at the local level. The entire set-up is in a beleaguered state and is in no way ready to face an election. The enthusiasm is simply missing among the cadres and there is a general feeling of disillusionment. ``The BJP president, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthy, has already given an indication that he would review seriously the performance of the Delhi unit. There is a possibility of changes at various levels to prepare the party for the MCD polls,'' a senior leader remarked.

Similarly, it is also being argued that with the party not faring well in the Assembly polls, there would be more pressure for a better show. But going by present indications, there is little possibility that the BJP would be able to retain power at the MCD. There has been total failure on the part of leaders to mobilise workers at the grassroots. Many leaders do not see eye to eye with each other, a problem which has plagued the party in the Capital only during recent years.

The general feeling is that BJP is today faced with the prospects of a rout in the MCD polls. Not only this, the party has been divided into small fragments which are pulling in different directions. It is no secret that the former Chief Minister, Mr. Madan Lal Khurana, who has been sidelined, does not get along with Mr. Mange Ram Garg, and also Prof. Mukhi.

Similarly, another former Chief Minister, Mr. Sahib Singh Verma, is following his own agenda and has been least active at the local level. The South Delhi MP, Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, has refrained from indulging in local level politics since his appointment as national party spokesman.

On the other hand, the BJP Legislature Party is also a divided lot. A majority of MLAs are adverse to Prof. Mukhi continuing, charging him with failure to give any direction to the BJP in the Vidhan Sabha. Prof. Mukhi has come under attack from his own party leaders including former Ministers, Mr. Harsharan Singh Balli, a Khurana loyalist, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, considered close to RSS and a contender for the post of Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Whip, Mr. Nand Kishore Garg, for having failed to play the role of an effective opposition.

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