Infighting, factionalism and undercurrent have hit the BJP hard in the key states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, say sources.
A section of the Bihar BJP was upset following the party high command’s decision to make senior leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav in charge of party affairs.
Fingers were being pointed at Mr Sushil Kumar Modi over the recent CAG report which flayed the Bihar government for investing `268.71 crore of Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojna in Unit Trust of India-Children Care Plan (UTI-CCP) mutual fund, exposing it to market risks.
The social welfare department, women development corporation and UTI had signed an MoU in June 2008 with the consent of the then state finance minister Sushil Kumar Modi without any guarantee of minimum assured amount payable to the beneficiary at the time of maturity or any clause in the MoU to safeguard the interest of the government or the beneficiary, the report stated.
In Uttar Pradesh, party general secretary in-charge of UP Amit Shah was being viewed as an “outsider trying to dictate terms”.
Meanwhile, Mr Shatrughan Sinha continued to needle the party with his barbs. Taking an anti-Modi stance, he told a TV channel that Mr Advani “may not be a contender. But my personal view is that he is the best suited from all aspects, including seniority.”
Mr Sinha further claimed that “there is nobody better than him in the party. He is the best of all.”
A few days back he had said that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was “Prime Minister material”.
For him, projecting Mr Modi could possibly divert focus from the raging issues of the UPA government’s scams and price rise.
He also toed the Advani line by saying that Mr Modi was “as capable as Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh chief minister)”.