BJP serves showcause notice on Maha MlA

The Maharashtra BJP on Saturday asked its senior party MlA Raj Purohit to showcause as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for allegedly criticising the style of functioning of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party’s national president Amit Shah and claiming that the business community was drifting away from the party because of its unfriendly policies.

A day after several local television channels aired a sting operation purportedly done on Purohit that showed him deride the party leadership and the NDA government’s policies, the State BJP served a notice on him, asking him to explain his remarks within three days and warning him that it would initiate disciplinary proceedings against him if he failed to submit his explanation within the stipulated period.    

In its show-cause notice served on Purohit, the State BJP’s office secretary Mukund Kulkarni stated: “The remarks made by you against the party and its leadership are objectionable. Your act prima facie amounts to breach of discipline. Through this notice you are being advised to explain your remarks within three days, failing which disciplinary proceedings would be initiated”. 

In a related development, Purohit clarified that the voice in the video was not his and had been doctored. He claimed that the sting operation purportedly done on him was part of an ongoing effort to malign him, the clean image of the party and its leadership.

In his clarification issued to the media, Purohit stated:  “There is absolutely no truth in the sting operation done on me. The voice in the sting operation is not mine. The CD itself is not genuine. The aired video is part of an ongoing effort to malign me, the clean image of our party and its leadership”.

“I have full faith and respect in the party’s leadership. I have full confidence in the party’s entire leadership, including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP’s national president Amit Shah. There is no question of my uttering anything against our leaders,” Purohit stated.“The RSS is like my parents and the question of my criticising the organisation does not arise.  Similarly, Devendra Fadnavis is an ideal chief minister, he is contributing a great deal to the development of Maharashtra and I have full confidence in his leadership,” the senior BJP MlA added. During the purported sting operation, Purohit agreed with the interviewer that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had become two power centres in the country.