The omission of senior BJP leaders from display boards and hoardings put up to welcome delegates for the BJP’s national executive has generated considerable bad blood.
While the hoardings give a clear indication of factionalism in the party ranks, they have also served to annoy several senior leaders who photographs and names do not find a mention in even a single hoarding.
Prominent party leaders and star campaigners of the BJP including Shatrughan Sinha, Navjot Singh Siddhu and Hema Malini have not been given a place in any of the hoardings while veterans like Yashwant Sinha have also been ignored.
BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who is also a much sought leader in UP, was also ignored in the hoardings.
“It is shameful that we clamour for these celebrities-turned-politicians during election time but when it comes to party politics, we studiously ignore them. Leaders like Shatrughan Sinha are much sought after for election campaigns but the party conveniently forgets him when elections are not on. Similarly, Yashwant Sinha, a former finance minister, should have been at the forefront to expose the financial scams of the UPA government but he was also relegated to the wings. Faces of those leaders who could play a crucial role in distribution of tickets were highlighted in hoardings,” said a party veteran.
A party spokesman, meanwhile, argued that majority of the hoardings had been put up by supporters and individuals in the party. “There was no directive from the party on this issue and we cannot be blamed if any leader has been left out,” the spokesman added.
Another controversy on the hoardings erupted when some supporters of former party president Rajnath Singh were prevented from putting up hoardings welcoming Singh to the party’s state headquarters. The issue has driven a wedge between the camps of Rajnath Singh and the state BJP chief Surya Pratap Shahi.