In a setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh, a sitting MLA from the Gwalior-Chambal region quit on Thursday, accusing supporters of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia of corruption and “persecution of original BJP workers”.
Virendra Raghuvanshi, a two-time MLA from Kolaras in Shivpuri, accused new entrants to the BJP [MLAs who crossed over to the BJP in 2020, allowing the BJP to replace a Congress government] of sidelining and targeting party workers like him. He further alleged that when he tried to raise the matter with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he was silenced.
Disruption, harassment
“In the past three and a half years, ever since a bunch of MLAs under Mr. Scindia’s leadership entered the BJP and some of them joined the cabinet, there have been attempts to disrupt development works in my constituency and false FIRs have been lodged against my supporters. One of them, the minister in charge of Shivpuri district, Mahendra Singh Sisodia even tried to get an FIR lodged against me,” Mr. Raghuvanshi alleged.
In his resignation letter, too, he wrote that the minister in charge had tried to justify corruption by comparing it to “temple offerings”. Mr. Raghuvanshi further wrote that party workers like him were not being heard.
He targeted Mr. Scindia himself in the resignation letter. “Scindia ji felled the Congress government accusing it of failing to waive Rs 2 lakh in farmers loans. But after the formation of the BJP government, Scindia never spoke once about farm loan waiver,” he wrote in his letter to State party President V D Sharma.
He alleged that fraud in co-operative banks in Shivpuri and other parts of the State had left farmers in a difficult position and the State government had once again failed to take any action.
BJP in a spot
The resignation comes as the BJP prepares to finalise the candidates’ list, and may create headaches for the BJP that is fighting anti-incumbency and in-fighting. Since Mr. Scindia’s arrival, there has been talk of accommodating new faces alongside old in the Gwalior-Chambal region where the BJP has been a force to reckon since its early, and even Jansangh, days.
Reacting to the allegations levelled by Mr. Raghuvanshi, Mr. Scindia asserted that the former was free to go wherever he wished, asserting that his political switch and that of his supporters was a matter of principle.
“The aavaagaman [entries and exits] that is happening, does happen during elections. It’s every person’s independent right to chart their future course and this is democracy,” Mr. Scindia told journalists.
There are indications that Mr. Raghuvanshi is likely to join the Congress and contest against minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia in the Assembly polls. The MLA said he would reveal his plans soon.
However, the two issues – alleged corruption and factionalism within the BJP – flagged by him are the issues that the Congress has constantly raised through its slogan ‘50% corruption government’, and the ‘Shivraj-Maharaj-Naraaz BJP’ jibe. While Shivraj refers to Mr. Chouhan, Maharaj is for Mr. Sincida, owing to his aristocratic origins. Naraaz means angry, a term the Opposition party has used to bracket those BJP leaders who do not owe allegiance to the first two.
Posting an image of the resignation letter, the Congress’ media cell chief K. K. Mishra wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Mr. Raghivanshi had made serious allegations of corruption against BJP leaders and ministers.
