Modi, Shah should take onus for Bihar poll debacle: BJP veteran

Dhar (MP), Nov 15: Amid the growing chorus of dissent in BJP over Bihar poll debacle, another party veteran Sangh Priya Gautam has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah should take the onus for the drubbing and demanded a rejig in party organisation.

He suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat should "leave politics" and focus on strengthening his organisation and Shah should be replaced by Rajnath Singh as BJP chief and made the Gujarat Chief Minister.

"The team of Modi and Shah should not hesitate from taking the responsibility of poll debacle in Bihar," Gautam told PTI.

Earlier veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha had issued a strong statement targeting Modi-Shah duo for the Bihar drubbing and said responsibility must be fixed for the poll debacle.

Gautam, who arrived on a visit to the historic Mandu city, also advocated appointing Amit Shah as the Gujarat Chief Minister, saying the present incumbent Anandiben Patel was "unable" to control the class struggle in her state.

"The party should take the benefit of Shah's experience in Gujarat," the 84-year-old leader said and suggested that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh should be made the party president again and Nitin Gadkari should be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister.

Upset over the Bihar results, Gautam advised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat "to leave politics in the interest of Hindus" and focus his energies on strengthening the organisation.

The former Union minister also blamed the "irresponsible" statements made by some party leaders for the poll debacle in Bihar, and urged Bhagwat to stop RSS' allied organisations from making controversial remarks.

"Besides, to empower social engineering sector, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari should be elevated as Deputy Prime Minister," Gautam said.

Worried over the party's condition in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP's dalit leader suggested that, "In order to strengthen party in UP, Union Minister Kalraj Mishra should be given the responsibility of the crucial northern state by balancing caste equations."

However, replying to a question, he said Modi should lead the party as Prime Minister and the next Lok Sabha polls should also be contested by the BJP under his leadership.

Referring to the controversy over reservation ahead of the Bihar polls, Gautam demanded a discussion in Lok Sabha on the report of former Supreme Court Chief Justice MN Venkatachaliah over the issue (of reservation) to "expose" those who launched a "misinformation" campaign against the party.

PTI