Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Resigning as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje on Friday severely criticised the BJP for being undemocratic and discouraging women leaders in the party.
Raje had defied the party High Command for nearly three months which had asked her to step down following the BJP’s pathetic performance in Lok Sabha polls in May.
Raje`s resignation letter was accepted by the BJP Parliamentary Board.
56-year-old Raje submitted her resignation to senior party leader L K Advani hours before a meeting of the party`s Parliamentary Board, sources close to her said.
Expressing disenchantment with the party, the sister of the late Congress politician Madhav Rao Scindia alleged that she felt humiliated at being treated the way she was. She was speaking to reporters after she met the ailing party patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Lamenting that senior BJP leaders had worked against her while she was the Chief Minister, the politician claimed that the way in which she had to leave the party was a clear manner to shackle women in the BJP.
She rejected the allegation of indiscipline by saying that she had inherited discipline from Vijay Raje Scindia and felt humiliated the way her resignation was being sought. She claimed that no one had been held guilty in the BJP for LS poll defeat since 1952.
The party High Command had asked Raje in August to take moral responsibility for BJP`s defeat in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls and step down from the post.
She, however, had defied the directive and indulged in dilly-dallying tactics.
The party had nominated senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu in September to talk to her and persuade her to follow the party diktat. But Raje did not meet him for days, saying she was unwell.
Subsequently, the party nominated another senior leader Sushma Swaraj to persuade Raje to step down but the Rajasthan BJP leader did not meet her despite an appointment scheduled for October 20.
Party sources said Raje is unlikely to be rehabilitated at the central level because of her defiance.
