Sumitra Mahajan miffed with BJP brass

NEW DELHI: The BJP central leadership’s decision to appoint Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha as president of its Madhya Pradesh unit has come under fire, with former Union minister Sumitra Mahajan questioning the procedure adopted to select the nominee.

Mr Jha, who hails originally from Bihar, but considers Madhya Pradesh as his karmabhoomi (area of work), was said to enjoy the blessings of a senior RSS functionary and also Mr Ram Lal, the general secretary in-charge of organisation in BJP.

It was at their insistence that he was elevated as the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit chief, even though chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was said to be rooting for another Rajya Sabha member Anil Dave.

Even though Mr Jha was eventually elected unopposed, his election has, not surprisingly, created a lot of heartburn in the state. ``Though I don’t have anything personal against Mr Jha, I am opposed to the way things are taking place in the party. Barring a few, no senior leader was consulted on the issue,’’ Ms Mahajan, a six-term MP from Indore, told a news agency.

``Since the party asked me not to file nomination for the state president’s post, I abided by it but expressed my displeasure to the party’s national vice-president Kalraj Mishra, who had been sent as observer for the election, over the procedure adopted in selecting Mr Jha for the post,’’ Ms Mahajan said.

``I have asked Mr Mishra to convey my displeasure to the party leadership on the issue and as soon as I get an appointment with BJP president Nitin Gadkari, I will discuss the issue with him,’’ she said, adding, the names of senior leaders who were not consulted .