Koshiyari resigns in BJP’s summer of discontent

NEW DELHI: In this season of never-ending discontent and infighting, there was more bad news for BJP on Wednesday as former Uttarakhand chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari resigned from the Rajya Sabha, spelling trouble for the B C Khanduri government in the hill state.

It was only in November last that Mr Koshiyari was elevated to the Centre by being made a member of the Rajya Sabha, in a move seen by many as stemming from the BJP central leadership���s anxiety to clear the roadblocks in the chief minister���s way. Mr Koshiyari was accused of leading a rebellion against Mr Khanduri and rocking the state government.

The 0-5 washout suffered by BJP in the Lok Sabha election has created a fresh round of trouble for Mr Khanduri, with a section of the MLAs seeking a leadership change in the state to restore the party���s fortunes. Mr Khanduri was charged by his detractors of providing an uninspiring government.

The chief minister himself was accused of being brash and arrogant, inaccessible to his own party colleagues. The BJP���s central leadership has, however, decided to stand by Mr Khanduri. A two-member team sent to Dehradun to assess the strength of the rival factions is said to have come back with the report that majority of the party MLAs were in favour of maintaining status-quo.

In the 70-member assembly, BJP has a slender majority of 35, with one seat lying vacant. The by-election to the Kapkot assembly seat, vacated late last year by Mr Koshiyari, had seen the party retaining the constituency, earning a reprieve of sorts for Mr Khanduri. With Mr Koshiyari deciding to quit his Rajya Sabha seat, a fresh bout of infighting is in store for the Uttarakhand BJP.

With the former chief minister around, Mr Khanduri is certain to come under more pressure to shape up, or be prepared to shake out. Mr Koshiyari���s return to state politics is certain to embolden the dissidents.

Mr Koshiyari denied that he had any political scores to settle. The senior BJP leader said he had resigned to devote more time to ���resurrect��� the party in the hill state. ���I will work like an ordinary party worker to resurrect BJP in Uttarakhand and take it to the victory path in the 2012 assembly elections,��� he said.


With an atmosphere of political uncertainty prevailing in the state, the opposition Congress has demanded imposition of President���s rule in the state, contending that infighting in the ruling BJP was hampering development process.