Disciplinary action against BJP rebels soon

They are frogs in the monsoon, says Shekhawat

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party 's Rajasthan unit president, Ram Das Agarwal, says disciplinary action against rebel party legislators "will be taken in a day or two."

Ruling out any change in the leadership in the BJP legislature party in the state, Agarwal said the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat government did not face any threat.

Seven BJP legislators rebelled against Shekhawat this week, but Agarwal ruled out the possibility of a Gujarat-like situation developing in the state.

In Gujarat, Shankarsinh Vaghela's revolt against then chief minister Keshubhai Patel led to the eventual collapse of that party's government in that state.

Agarwal declared that the conspiracy of destabilising the BJP government by money power would not succeed in Rajasthan. He said he had identified the conspirators, but declined to divulge their names or political affiliations.

BJP legislators reviewed the situation in Jaipur on Thursday evening. Six Independent legislators met early on Thursday and decided to save the Shekhawat government if such a situation arises. Fourteen Independent legislators support the BJP government in the state.

Agarwal's threat of disciplinary action came less than 24 hours after rebel BJP legislator Punja Lal -- who resigned from the Shekhawat ministry on Monday -- and two other party legislators, Pura Ram Chaudhary and Gopichand Gujjar, declared that they were not afraid of any action that the BJP's central leadership may take against them.

Lal said most BJP legislators in Rajasthan are fed up with Shekhawat's leadership. "Our appeals to the central leaders have fallen on deaf ears," he said, adding, "We cannot accept as our party leader a man who was thrown out of the police force." Shekhawat, Lal claimed, served as a sub-inspector in Sikar (in the former Jaipur state) and was turned out of his job.

Shekhawat has been the party's undisputed leader in Rajasthan after he headed the Janata Party government from 1977 to 1980. His influence in the northwestern state's politics was evident as leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan legislature for ten years, from 1980 to 1990.

On March 4, 1990, he assumed the office of Rajasthan chief minister for the second time. But his government was dismissed along with the other BJP governments in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh after the Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992.

However, he was the only one of the BJP chief ministers to recapture power.

Though the BJP fell short of an absolute majority by 11 votes, Shekhawat, the consummate political poker player, convinced 14 Independent legislators to support his party. Thus, the BJP enjoys the support of 114 legislators in the 200-member state assembly. "He has always overcome difficulties," one of Shekhawat's associates told Rediff On The NeT.

Shekhawat, who underwent cardiac surgery last month, himself dismissed the threat to his government in a brief conversation with Rediff On The NeT. "Yah sab barsati mendhak hain, inse meri sarkar par koi phark nahin padega (these are frogs in the monsoon, they are not going to have any effect on my government) I cannot speak much as my doctors have asked me to take complete rest. My body aches when I speak, so please let me take rest."

Both party president Lal Kishinchand Advani and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee have assured the Rajasthan chief minister that he has the centreal leadership's full support in vanquishing the rebels.