Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s decision to contest lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate after he was denied ticket from Barmer has not gone down well into party’s ranks and files.
Reacting to the ‘rebellion’, BJP MP Venkaiah Naidu virtually labeled Singh as a “thankless” person. “It is unfortunate. But the party has given him lots of respect. He was MP on many occasions, made leader of Opposition, Finance Minister and Foreign Minister. It is not a small thing,” said Naidu when asked about the former leaving the party on Monday. Naidu disagreed with the perception that old leaders were being sidelined and dishonoured in the BJP and also cautioned the leaders quitting the party. “Tickets are given keeping local factors in mind and this would have happened in Jaswant Singh’s case as well. The party has given tickets to most of senior leaders,” said Naidu. Though, he felt that last time pandemonium about leaving and joining parties was not an ideal situation. Commenting on Sriram Sene chief Pramod Muttalick’s entry and exit from the party within hours, Naidu blamed Sate unit of the BJP for the goof up. He also declined to accept that ‘tainted’ leaders like former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa were making re-entry into the party.