Arun Shourie no longer a party member, says BJP

NEW DELHI: Arun Shourie, who had launched a stinging attack on the Modi government on Monday, is no longer a member of the BJP, the party said as it sought to dismiss the criticism of its one-time influential leader who was also a minister in the previous NDA government.

BJP general secretary Arun Singh said Shourie's membership ceased after he did not renew it during the recent membership drive.

All members have to renew their membership after every six years and Shourie did not do so this time round, he said.

"Arun Shourie is no more a BJP member. He did not renew his membership," he said.

At a news conference in the party headquarters, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu rejected Shourie's attack on the government, saying "his views are shared neither by the party nor by the public."

"I do not agree with this. This is not the opinion of party nor public," he said in a brief response.

Shourie, a strong supporter of Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaign last year, had said the Centre believes that managing economy means "managing the headlines" and that people had started recalling the days of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The way to characterize policies of the government is — Congress scaled plus a cow," he had said.

Rejecting the charge, Naidu said there has been "no scam, no scandal and not even one mistake" under the government and BJP had been winning elections across the country.

"We are a democracy, he (Shourie) has his opinion, but the country's opinion is different," Naidu said, adding the people were supporting the Prime Minister in all parts of the country.