New Delhi, September 6
Ten days ahead of the party’s National Executive meeting in Chennai, BJP’s central disciplinary committee today recommended the expulsion of veteran party leader Madan Lal Khurana for six years after he failed to reply to a show-cause notice served on him a fortnight back.
The committee’s refusal to accede to Mr Khurana’s request for giving him “some more time” to reply to the notice clearly indicates that the BJP central leadership was keen to send a strong message to dissidents in the party ahead of the National Executive meeting by taking action against former Delhi strongman.
The “unanimous” decision to expel the former Delhi Chief Minister was taken at a two-hour long meeting of the committee
which looked into the allegations of “gross indiscipline” against Mr Khurana, its Chairman Ram Naik told
newspersons here.
Mr Khurana was suspended from the party on August 20 and a charge sheet and notice issued to him on August 22 after he publicly expressed his inability to work under party president L.K. Advani and demanded Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s removal.
Mr Naik said Mr Khurana did not respond to the notice and instead only sent an acknowledgement and a request for further time to reply without being specific.
The committee later sent its written recommendation to party president L.K. Advani, who Mr Naik said had the “prerogative to take any further decision.”
According to party sources, the formal announcement of Mr Khurana’s expulsion is now just a mere formality as Mr Advani was taken into confidence before the disciplinary panel made the recommendation public.
Meanwhile, the former Delhi strongman said he was “hurt and surprised” by the decision which was taken even before he responded to the notice.
Mr Khurana said his strength would be demonstrated on Thursday when his supporters would hold a public rally in the Capital.
He also stuck to his attack on Mr Advani for “deviating from ideology” and converting the party into a “private limited company”.
“In my letter to Mr Advani I criticised his comments on Jinnah...The RSS and others in the Sangh Parivar also wanted Mr Advani to resign...But I wonder why action is being taken against me alone,” he said.
“I will definitely show what my standing is in and outside the BJP,” he said, adding that “former Delhi Minister H S Balli is convening a meeting on Thursday, which will be attended by my supporters within and outside the BJP.”
