BJP internal rift escalates; Joshi's posters come up in Ahmedabad

June 5, 2012

Sanjay_Joshi

Ahmedabad, Jun 5: In signs of growing dissent within the BJP, hoardings supporting party leader Sanjay Joshi have came up at various places in the city, targeting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the state elections scheduled in December this year.

The hoardings and posters with Joshi's pictures say, "Chote man se koi bada nahi hota, tute man se koi bada nahi hota (nobody becomes big with a narrow mind)".

It went on to say "kaho dil se... Sanjay Joshi phir se (Say with all your heart, Sanjay Joshi once again)".

The hoardings apparently targeted the Gujarat Chief Minister though his name has not been written any where on them. They say that those having a narrow mind cannot become a big leader.

Modi had reportedly threatened to quit the national executive himself if Joshi was allowed to continue as its member.

The BJP central leadership had then asked Joshi to resign from the national executive following which Modi went to Mumbai to attend the event last month.

The Gujarat BJP unit has so far refused to say anything on the hoardings of Joshi.

Modi and Joshi started their political careers as comrades to put Gujarat BJP unit on a high pedestal but now they don't see eye to eye.

Joshi came to Ahmedabad in 1988-89 from Maharashtra RSS to join the BJP here.

In 1990, Modi was the general secretary of state unit of BJP while Joshi was secretary and both worked together for about five years along with other leaders, which was the crucial phase of state BJP when the party came to power for the first time in the state with Keshubhai Patel as chief minister in 1995.

However, in 1995 itself after a revolt by then party leader Shankarsinh Vaghela, Modi was shunted out of the state and Joshi became the powerful general secretary (organisation) of BJP state unit.

BJP was able to come back to power in Gujarat after a revolt by Shankarsinh Vaghela in 1998.

The enmity between the two began in 1998, when Modi wanted to return to the state but Joshi had opposed the move and did not allow him to return, sources said.

Keshubhai Patel once again became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1998. The rivalry of Joshi-Modi grew from that year and it became more intense when Patel was unceremoniously removed as Chief Minister and replaced by Modi in 2001.

But, the party then transferred Joshi to Delhi and gave him a powerful post of Party General Secretary (organisation).

In the next few years, the clout of Joshi began to grow at the national level due to his position in the party.

However, in 2005, Joshi was forced to resign following a controversy over a CD purportedly showing him in poor light.

The CD surfaced during the silver jubilee celebrations of the party in Mumbai.

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News Network
October 21,2024

khalistan.jpg

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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