Yashwant Sinha raises banner of revolt against BJP leadership

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha raised the banner of revolt against the leadership on Monday over the appointment of Ravindra Rai as the new Jharkhand unit chief. Sinha, who represents Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh in the Lok Sabha, told the party leadership that ‘unilateral’ actions have become the norm and that party leaders were ‘never taken into confidence’ on crucial decisions.

Rai, a close associate of ex-CM Arjun Munda, was selected by Rajnath Singh to lead the state unit on Sunday. The anti-Munda camp claims the decision signaled a complete surrender of the leadership to the wishes of the ex-CM. “Rai lost his deposit in the last assembly election. There appears to be a premium on non-performance,” said a Jharkhand MP.

Sinha gave vent to his anger at a meeting of senior leaders convened by Sushma Swaraj on Monday. When asked to initiate the debate on Agusta scandal in the House, he said “the task should be handled by someone more important in the party”.