Lucknow: Days after he vent his frustration
over selection of the new team of BJP office bearers,
Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday said that there is a vacuum at the top
in the absence of Atal Bihari Vajpayee coupled with certain
other factors.
In an informal interaction with reporters here, Sinha
said the BJP leadership was weakened after the retirement of
Vajpayee from active politics.
He said there were also certain other factors but
declined to elaborate.
The BJP leader, however, sought to put a lid on the
controversy following his outburst against party President
Nitin Gadkari that deserving candidates had been ignored in
the new team announced last week.
"Whatever I had to say on the executive committee issue I
have told my party President and also apprised the Leader of
Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj and would not react
on it further," Sinha said insisting that he had not violated
discipline by "expressing his reservations" .
The BJP MP from Patna asked his party to concentrate on
the coming "crucial" assembly elections in Bihar and sort out
the problems of factionalism in the party.
Sinha, who was here for the promotion of his son, Luv
Sinha`s debut film "Sadiyan" releasing early next month, asked
the party to project a strong and united face.
"In this election year, it is most important for the
party to address all its problems and see as to why the recent
results to the by elections had not been favourable", he said
adding that though the present Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
is doing good work, the results indicated that there is
something wrong somewhere and it needed to be rectified
immediately.
"We have to ensure that Bihar does not go the Jharkhand
way," he said adding that besides doing good work it is also
important to ensure that people are perceiving it.
The BJP MP also coined a new slogan `Bihar rising"
instead of "Bihar Shining" which, he said, would be more apt
as a lot still needs to be done in that state.
Sinha regretted at being ignored by the party in his
home state. "I was neither invited for the Bihar diwas
programme nor am called for the various functions of the chief
minister there", he said adding in a lighter vein that perhaps
"some people feel insecure because of my popularity".
On the controversy raised over his comments on the new
team, Sinha said that he only wanted deserving and capable
people should get their rightful place in the party and the
undeserving are not given priority over them.
On the women reservation issue, he said that it has
been highly politicised as some "vested interests" had been
trying to gain political mileage out of it.
"There are bound to be different views on an issue like
this but a consensus should be evolved through all party
meeting", he said suggesting "counselling" for those having
views against it as the bill aims to " change people`s
mentality over the subject".
PTI
