Jammu, Apr 15: Amid humiliation and blame game over ‘cash-for-vote’ fiasco, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command has summoned all its eleven MLAs from Jammu and Kashmir to New Delhi on April 19 to take final decision on resignation submitted by them.
Though MLAs claimed they tendered their resignation on “moral grounds”, party sources said they (MLAs) were “forced” by the party high command to do so as a part of its ‘damage control’ exercise.
A senior party leader told Greater Kashmir that all eleven MLAs have been asked to personally appear before the party’s national president Nitin Gadkari who will hear them in person and take the final decision on April 19.
“Party high command has taken a serious note of such political dishonesty by its MLAs. They will definitely face the stern action including losing their membership from the Legislative Assembly,” sources added.
All the three national leaders of the party comprising national general secretary J P Nadda, in-charge JK, O P Kohli and co-incharge JK R P Singh left for New Delhi this morning after dropping sufficient hints of taking stern action against the MLAs.
 Pertinently, seven BJP members in the Legislative Assembly had defied the party whip and had voted for the candidates of their arch political rivals, National Conference and Congress. This act had outraged senior BJP leaders who ‘forced’ them to tender their resignations.
 The second line leadership of the party however also questioned why the resignation letters addressed to the Speaker of the JK Assembly were being sent to the national president of the party instead of sending them directly to the Speaker.
 They called this “en-mass resignation” a drama enacted to distract the party cadres’ attention away from the real issue.
 “Such act of cross-voting by party MLAs has given a bad name to the BJP and embarrassed the party by committing an act of political dishonesty. They should be removed from their respective positions without any delay,” the leaders maintained.
 Party sources said the demand for resignation of state president Shamsher Singh Manhas is also gaining momentum with party cadre questioning his role in the entire “scam”.
 “The state president’s role also came under scanner during the core group meeting of the party late last evening. Senior leaders while taking a dig at the state president dropped enough hints that he can also face stern action,” sources added.
 All eleven BJP MLAs tendered their resignation Thursday late evening owing the ‘moral responsibility’ for the cross-voting. The resignation letters were taken to New Delhi by J P Nadda and O P Kohli. After recommendation of party national president Nitin Gadkari, all the letters would be forwarded to the Speaker for the necessary action, sources said.
 “The process of identification of the seven real culprit MLAs has been initiated. If the defaulters are not identified all eleven MLAs can face the axe,” a top party leader maintained.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST