The immediate provocation for Mehta's action is the murder of his lieutenant Bavjibhai Jadeja in Kutch district, which is Mehta's political base. Jadeja was shot by an armed gang on September 10, when he accompanied a Forest Department team in a raid on the ``charcoal mafia,'' which indulges in illicit felling of trees. The forest officials, although armed, just fled from the spot.

Jadeja's murder shows the extent of the rot in the BJP, which prides itself as ``a party of principles''. Jadeja's killers are known to enjoy the patronage of Mehta's rivals within the BJP. Mehta said as much when, asked for reasons of his resignation, he remarked: ``What is the point of being a minister when the in-fighting inthe party leads to bloodshed''.

What gives another ominous dimension to the murder is the fact that Jadeja, who was a rich landlord and member of the district panchayat, was known as ``a valuable informer'' for the various intelligence agencies in Kutch district, which borders Pakistan. ``A man who was serving the country has been killed,'' said Mehta.

But the murder was only the proverbial last straw on the camel's back. For, Mehta, who is number 2 in the Cabinet, was being persistently humiliated for many months. Mehta refused to talk about the events leading to the murder, saying, ``the murder of a colleague is most painful, although many things have happened since the organisational elections''.

In the organisational elections, held in February, the office-bearers were elected unanimously all over the state, except Kutch, where the hardliners of the Sangh Parivar insisted on a contest. Mehta's man was elected district president, defeating Sangh Parivar's nominee Dhirubhai Shah.

In the assemblyelections, which came next, Shah was elected from Rapar. Mehta won from Mandvi, in spite of efforts to sabotage his election. Shah, who became MLA for the first time, was made Speaker, while Keshubhai Patel and Sangh Parivar hardliners were unwilling to recognise Mehta, who was a former Chief Minister, as the number 2 in the Cabinet.

Mehta dug in and was given the number 2 position, but his portfolio of Industry was stripped of Mines, Industrial Policy, Petrochemicals, and Salt Industry. Of course, he was also given Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Parliamentary Affairs, but these departments have little work.

Further, known Mehta supporters like I K Jadeja, Arvind Patel, Parshottam Roopala -- all senior MLAs who had been ministers -- were kept out, while junior MLAs like Kaushik Patel, Haren Pandya, Anandiben Patel, Dilip Patel, were appointed ministers of state with independent charge of important portfolios, like Energy, Home, Education, and Panchayats.

The moderates who were inducted in the Cabinetwere, on the other hand, given comparatively less important portfolios. For instance, Fakirbhai Vaghela, who had been Forest and Urban Development Minister, was given Social Welfare and Prohibition, while Jaynarayan Vyas, who had been Civil Supplies and Narmada Development Minister, was given Narmada Development with Major Irrigation.

Moderates feel that they got a raw deal in the appointment of chairman of boards and corporation, as well as in filling of organisational posts. In the words of a senior minister, while Keshubhai Patel was the Chief Minister, members of Sangh Parivar, ``who are not accountable to the people'', were doing the back seat driving to strengthen their hold on the government and the party.