Narendra Modi-baiter, Sanjay Joshi back in UP with a bang

400 supporters greet him at Charbagh railway station; Narendra Modi-baiter later met BJP leaders

Three months after he was divested of all party posts, former BJP national secretary Sanjay Joshi is back in Uttar Pradesh. Joshi was in-charge of the state during the Assembly elections.

Joshi reached Lucknow on Sunday to attend a conference organised by Jagruk Matdata Manch, an organisation run by activists of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Joshi was the chief guest while senior BJP leader and Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon was invited to preside over the event. BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai was the main speaker. However, Bajpai could not attend as he was in Meerut.

While the BJP state unit kept silent over Joshi's visit, he was welcomed by around 400 party workers at Charbagh railway station. From there, he went to the residence of Tandon. He had lunch at the residence of another party leader before visiting the residence of BJP state general secretary Vidhyawasini Kumar to express grief over the demise of his sister-in-law.

Conference organiser and BJP Majdoor Sangh state general secretary K K Shukla said Joshi will be in Rae Bareli on Monday to attend a similar programme organised by the Manch.

Joshi visited Kanpur last week to meet the party workers who sustained injuries during a police lathicharge while trying to stage a dharna outside the residence of Union Coal Minister Sriparakash Jaiswal last Sunday. Sources said Joshi had received a warm welcome by workers in Kanpur also. He also visited Aligarh where he attended an ABVP function.

Last May, Joshi was kept away from the BJP national executive allegedly under the pressure of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. A fortnight after that, the party had also dissociated him from UP. Later hoardings in Joshi's support had surfaced in Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Lucknow.

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