‘Disgruntled’ Saryu gives quit notice to BJP chief Amit Shah
TNN | Feb 10, 2019, 11:58 IST
BJP president Amit Shah (File photo)RANCHI: After voicing concern about the work culture in the Raghubar Das government, cabinet minister Saryu Rai on Saturday offered to step down and relinquish all his responsibilities. Rai, who was in Delhi, could not meet BJP president Amit Shah, who was in Pune, and left him a letter seeking his directions by the end of the month.
In the letter which he left at the party headquarters, Rai said: “I came here to meet you (Shah), but since you are not in Delhi, I am leaving this letter and will appear before you whenever asked.”
Rai explained that he had expressed his desire to step down in August 2017 because of the work culture patronized by the CM, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to continue saying quitting is not the solution to any problem. Modi had also asked him to meet Shah to sort out the issues. “I met you on August 21, 2017 at the party office in Delhi and you had assured me to wait for your Ranchi visit between September 16-18, 2017,” the letter reads.
Rai added things improved immediately after his visit, but people started functioning as per their whims and fancies within a few months. “The present situation is worse. Many things are happening in the government which is becoming difficult for me to accept. It has become tough to remain in the cabinet with dignity and self-respect,” the letter said.
Accusing the party leadership in the state and at the Centre for not dealing with festering issues, Rai said he is offering to step down to avoid putting the party’s central leadership in a spot. “If the CM cannot change his attitude, work style, behaviour and priorities, it is equally not possible for me to change myself according to his demands,” Rai said.
Senior BJP leaders in the state were not available for comment. State president Laxman Gilua and general secretary Deepak Prakash did not respond to phone calls while other cabinet colleagues refused to comment.
Opposition parties, however, latched on to the developments. Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam congratulated Rai for endorsing the opposition’s views. “We have been repeating that the government is corrupt and is working against public interest. This becomes evident when a cabinet minister accepts that he feels ashamed being a part of the government,” he said. Alam said Rai should have resigned earlier when he stepped down from the post of parliamentary affairs minister.
The widening rift within BJP is likely to be milked by the opposition in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. Rai’s offer to step down from as the food, public distribution and consumer affairs minister hints at discontent within the government and failure to address it indicates lapses at the party’s organisational front.
In the letter which he left at the party headquarters, Rai said: “I came here to meet you (Shah), but since you are not in Delhi, I am leaving this letter and will appear before you whenever asked.”
Rai explained that he had expressed his desire to step down in August 2017 because of the work culture patronized by the CM, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to continue saying quitting is not the solution to any problem. Modi had also asked him to meet Shah to sort out the issues. “I met you on August 21, 2017 at the party office in Delhi and you had assured me to wait for your Ranchi visit between September 16-18, 2017,” the letter reads.
Rai added things improved immediately after his visit, but people started functioning as per their whims and fancies within a few months. “The present situation is worse. Many things are happening in the government which is becoming difficult for me to accept. It has become tough to remain in the cabinet with dignity and self-respect,” the letter said.
Accusing the party leadership in the state and at the Centre for not dealing with festering issues, Rai said he is offering to step down to avoid putting the party’s central leadership in a spot. “If the CM cannot change his attitude, work style, behaviour and priorities, it is equally not possible for me to change myself according to his demands,” Rai said.
Senior BJP leaders in the state were not available for comment. State president Laxman Gilua and general secretary Deepak Prakash did not respond to phone calls while other cabinet colleagues refused to comment.
Opposition parties, however, latched on to the developments. Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam congratulated Rai for endorsing the opposition’s views. “We have been repeating that the government is corrupt and is working against public interest. This becomes evident when a cabinet minister accepts that he feels ashamed being a part of the government,” he said. Alam said Rai should have resigned earlier when he stepped down from the post of parliamentary affairs minister.
The widening rift within BJP is likely to be milked by the opposition in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. Rai’s offer to step down from as the food, public distribution and consumer affairs minister hints at discontent within the government and failure to address it indicates lapses at the party’s organisational front.
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