With speculations swirling in the BJP over the controversial Pauri municipal council president Yashpal Benam joining the party, several saffron leaders and activists warned the leaders against the move, saying that it would damage the credibility of the party with graft charges dogging Benam. A senior BJP leader said that the speculations running rife in the party circles over Benam being inducted in the party and given the party ticket for the upcoming election of the chairman of Pauri municipal council is damaging the credibility of the party ahead of the crucial election among the people who are up in arms against the present civic body president and are demanding his prompt removal from the post. “The party leadership should clear things immediately before it is too late,” he added.
He further said that the suggestions being made by some within the party that Benam is the only leader to help the party win the election would spite the party’s prospects during the election. “Besides, it sounds like admission that the local party is bereft of competent leaders who can take the party to winning elections. The grass root workers are angry over such dangerous suggestions coming out from certain quarters. If things are allowed to continue it would demoralise the rank and file of the party which we can hardly afford around this time,” he added.
Things heated up after some leaders, including representative of Garhwal MP Vinod Sachdev, former vice- chairman social welfare council Matbar Singh Negi, former Uttarakhand sports council vice- chairman and former municipal council president Jaspal Singh Negi and former State BJP treasurer Harish Sadana, addressed a media meet in Pauri on Monday and expressed serious concern over a reported move to induct Benam into the party.
They said that with serious graft charges being tagged to him, it would be suicidal for the party ahead of the election. “How can we explain to the people our Government’s stance of stripping Benam of the financial power he was enjoying thanks to the post he is holding? Would it be a good message to the people from the ruling party which is insisting on zero tolerance for corruption?” a BJP leader asked.
The BJP leaders raised question over some party MLAs pitching for induction of Benam in the party. They said they failed to understand why they are soft towards the person who in the past bitterly criticised Narendra Modi and the party.