BJP's national office-bearers twiddle thumbs

BJP's national office-bearers twiddle thumbs
SHARAD GUPTA

NEW DELHI, OCT 14: It’s all play and no work for BJP's national office-bearers since they took over one-and-a-half months ago. The reason: party chief Bangaru Laxman has not allotted them any work.

Bangaru has also not constituted the various cells and morchas at the central level. Interestingly, cells and morchas have already been constituted in most of the states and state-level morcha leaders are reported to be confused about whom to look at the Centre for guidance and consultation.

As a result, the entire party is busy with only one programme - celebrating completion of one-year of NDA Government and propagating the Nagpur Message.

This is being stated as one of the reasons for most office bearers keeping away from party headquarters. Even daily press conferences have become sparse as BJP leaders have been unable to find a suitable replacement to M.Venkaiah Naidu who recently resigned as BJP's sole spokesperson.

A major reason being attributed by senior BJP leader for non-distribution of work and non-constitution of various party cells is that Bangaru himself has a very hectic schedule - touring various parts of the country ever since he took over as party chief.

Bangaru is also learnt to be waiting for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to recuperate after his knee surgery, to discuss party matters with him. Since Vajpayee is expected to arrive from Mumbai by October 21, work allocation to BJP office bearers is unlikely to take place before Diwali.

Bangaru's problems are heightened by the fact that only a few of his office bearers have experience of working at the national level. Newly appointed general secretary, Sunil Shastri, for instance, joined the BJP barely two years ago. His colleague Maya Singh, had been appointed as general secretary in the Madhya Pradesh unit this time before Bangaru picked her up to appoint her as national general secretary. Another general secretary, Sahib Singh Varma alsoo has little experience of handling national politics as he hardly ever ventured out of his outer Delhi constituency.