Keshubhai may face disciplinary action: Ram Naik

New Delhi, Dec 5 (UNI) BJP Disciplinary Committee Chairman Ram Naik today evaded all questions relating to disciplinary action against former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel for asking the people to oust the Narendra Modi Government.

Facing a barrage of questions by newspersons, Mr Naik refused to take any suo-motu action against Mr Patel, indicating nothing was planned against him till elections were over in the state.

Mr Naik said the Central Committee could take cognizance against a person if the matter was referred to it by the State Disciplinary Committee, and for MPs if the BJP Parlimentary Party proposed some action.

Mr Naik was reminded that the Committee had the right to take a suo-motu notice against anybody indulging in anti-party activities and it was done in the case of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati and former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana.

He admitted that the committee was vested with such powers, but in Mr Patel's case let the matter come before it by the State Committee.

Mr Patel, unhappy over his marginalisation in the party, had been off and on siding with the dissidents in Gujarat for the past more than two years. Mr Patel is understood to have equated Mr Modi with demon king "Ravana" and asked the people to uproot the 'dictatorship' from the state in the ensuing assembly elections.

Earlier, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Mr Modi's speech at the election rally was distorted. He had never taken the name of Sohrabuddin, who was allegedly shot down in a fake encounter.

UNI