Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 14: It is official now that Bhartiya Janata Party has revoked the suspension of five out of seven MLAs who were suspended from the party for cross voting in the Legislative Council election in April 2011.
These MLAs are Baldev Raj Sharma, Master Lal Chand, Durga Dass, Bharat Bhushan and Prof Gharu Ram Bhagat.
According to an official communiqué from the party’s State headquarters, the BJP national general secretary Jagat Parkash Nadda has formally conveyed the national president Rajnath Singh’s decision of revoking their suspension.
The suspension was revoked following individual letters written by these MLAs to Rajnath Singh expressing their `unconditional’ desire to work for the party as per the BJP priorities and directives and their requesting that their suspension may kindly be revoked and an opportunity be given to resume work for the party.
The Excelsior had exclusively reported on last Sunday that suspension of these five MLA was being revoked as the BJP Parliamentary Board had given its final nod for the same on the recommendation of Central Disciplinary Action Committee.
These five MLAs, along with Prof Chaman Lal Gupta and Jagdish Sapolia, were suspended from primary membership of the party for six years following crossing in the Legislative Council elections, held on April 13, 2011.
While there is no official word on the fate of Prof Chaman Lal Gupta and Jagdish Sapolia, sources said that a section of BJP high-command has reservations over taking the duo back in the party.
When contacted, Prof Gupta refused to comment on the party decision of revoking suspension of five MLAs but did not hide his displeasure over alleged double standards of the BJP on the issue thus hinting uncertainty over his fate.
Meanwhile, immediately after getting the formal communiqué over revocation of the suspension, the State BJP core group met this evening at the official residence of organizing secretary Ashok Koul. All the nine MLAs, including five those take back in the party, attended the meeting and expressed their full faith in policies and programmes of the BJP, sources said.
State BJP president Jugal Kishore, BJP legislature party leader Ashok Khajuria, former State presidents of the party Shamsher Singh and Dr Nirmal Singh were among those who attended the meeting and discussed the measures for further strengthening the party in Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the latest development, sources said, State BJP president Jugal Kishore and Legislature Party leader Ashok Khajuria are all set to formally convey the Speaker Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul about the party decision of revoking suspension of five MLAs and taking them back in the party.
With the revocation of suspension, the number of members of BJP legislature party has risen from four to nine.
It may be recalled that even after suspension of seven MLAs from the party, the Speaker had not taken any decision on fate of the suspended MLAs on the ground that the matter was pending in the court.
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